
FUKS)-;.NTi;i) l!Y 




A PUPIL IN WORKING COSTUME, SCHOOL FOR LADY GARDENERS, 
GLYNDE, SUSSEX. 

riictocjrui.h h)j Plctorkd Agency. 



GARDENING FOR 
WOMEN 



BY 

THE HON. FRANCES WOLSELEY 

PRINCIPAL OF THE GLYNDE SCHOOL FOR LADY 
GARDENERS IN SUSSEX 



WITH THIRTY-TWO ILLUSTRATIONS 



CASSELL AND COMPANY, LIMITED 
London, Paris, New York, Toronto and Melbourne 

1908 



•Wfc? 



Gift 
Publisher 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 



CONTENTS 



PART I 

CHAPTER I PAGE 
Gardening as a Profession for Women. . . 1 

CHAPTER II 

The Training Required 7 

CHAPTER III 
Landscape Gardening ...... 12 

CHAPTER IV 
Jobbing Gardening and Floral Decoration , . 21 

CHAPTER V 

The Teaching of Nature-Study .... 28 

CHAPTER VI 

Some Hints upon Taking Up a Post as Head 

Gardener . .34 



CHAPTER VII 
Dress for Lady Gardeners 54 



iv CONTENTS 

CHAPTER \T:II PAGE 
Cottage and Food 64 

CHAPTER IX 
Market GtArdening 70 

CHAPTER X 

The Medical Aspect op Gardening for Women . 77 

CHAPTER XI 
Women Gardeners for South Africa ... 89 

CHAPTER XII 
Italian Pot Gardens : A Suggestion ... 98 

CHAPTER XIII 

For Those who Hesitate to Employ Lady 

Gardeners 105 

PART II 

CHAPTER XIV 

Colleges and Schools for Lady Gardeners in 

Great Britain 116 

CHAPTER XV 
Continental Schools and Colleges . . . 160 



CHAPTER XVI 
Schools and Colleges in America .... 209 



CONTENTS V 

CHAPTEK XVII PAGE 

Gardening and Nature-Study in Canada and 

Australia 232 

CHAPTEE XVIII 
Training Grounds tor Market Gardeners . . 253 



APPENDIX 
Useful Information for Lady Gardeners 



273 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



TO FACE PAGE 

A Pupil in Working Costume, School for Lady Grardeners, 

Glynde, Sussex FroTttispiece 

The " Walled Garden " at the House of Field-Marshal 

Viscount Wolseley, K.P. ..... 4 

Model by Miss A. C. Sewell of a Children's Garden, ex- 
hibited at the Whitechapel Country in Town 
Exhibition 12 

The Hanging Gardens, Ratton Park, Sussex . . 20 

A Page from a Boy's "Nature-Study" Sketch Book. 30 

The Countess Bathurst's Garden, Pinbury, near Ciren- 
cester ........ 36 

The Yew Tree Avenue, known as "the Nun's Walk," 
in the Countess Bathurst's Garden, Pinbury, near 
Cirencester ........ 44 

Miss E. Douglas in her Greenhouse at Shedfield Grange, 

Botley, Hants 48 

Miss Hester Perrin at Work in her Brother's Garden at 

Fortfield House, Terenure, Co. Dublin. . . 54 

In the Garden at Fortfield House, Terenure, Co. Dublin 60 

In the Garden at Fortfield House, Terenure, Co. Dublin 64 

Boxing Bulbs for Forcing at Miss Bateman's Market 

Girden, Bashley Nursery, New Milton, Hants . 74 

The Ruins Gardens, Slougham Place, Sussex . . 86 

The Yews at Hutton John, Cumberland ... 92 

An Italian Pot Garden ...... 102 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



TO FACE PAGE 

Italian Orange Pots and Oil Jars .... 104 
The Ruins, Ratton Park, Sussex . . . .110 
The Cottage, School of Lady Gardeners, Glynde, Sussex 118 

Gathering Roses for Pot Pourri, School of Lady Gar- 
deners, Glynde, Sussex . . . . .120 
" Potting " : Students at Work, Reading University 126 

At Work in the Vinery, Studley College for Lady Gar- 
deners ........ 136 

Preparing the Frames at Studley College for Lady 

Gardeners ........ 140 

Students at the School of Pomology and Horticulture, 

Marienfelde, near Berlin . . . . .166 

School for Lady Gardeners, Holtenau, near Kiel, Schles- 

wig-Holstein ....... 188 

Students at Hastum School, Norway . . . 200 

Students at Work at the Agdatorp School of Garden- 
ing, Sweden ....... 202 

Students at Work at the Espenas School for Lady Gar- 
deners, Sweden ....... 206 

Avenue leading to " Lowthorpe," Croton, Massa- 
chusetts, Mrs. Low's School for Lady Gardeners . 220 

Southern Entrance to "Lowthorpe," Croton, Massachu- 
setts, Mrs. Low's School for Lady Gardeners . . 222 

The Marchioness of SHgo's Garden, Mount Browne, near 

Guildford 252 

Captain Colthurst Vesey's Garden, Lucan, Ireland . 256 

Rose Garden, Danny, Sussex ..... 262 



INTRODUCTION 



How often it is that Fate places us amongst 
people whose characters, pursuits, and tastes we 
do not know ! We hesitate how best to melt 
that barrier of icy reserve and shyness behind 
which we English remain frozen. How can we 
speedily break through the reserve which risesup 
between us and the stranger near us ? There is 
at least one subject of conversation which usually 
calls forth a response — it is gardening. 

Whether our neighbour be politician, soldier, 
architect, or painter, he will surely listen with 
interest to the mention of a garden. He will tell 
us of some newly- discovered plant, a flower show 
that he went to see, or he will expatiate upon the 
beauties of South African bulbs. We may be 
sure that if he himself is no gardener, he has 
someone dear to him who is a lover of flowers. 
After a hard day's work in the City, he will gladly 
turn his thoughts to the peace and quiet of a 
walled-in country garden, where the hum of bees 



X 



INTRODUCTION 



and the scent of sweet briar or rosemary bring 
happiness and contentment. 

It is the same with country people, who live 
in our quiet English villages that are as yet un- 
spoilt by the dust of motors and the noise of 
holiday-makers. A little chat over the garden 
wall in the cool of evening, about the luxuriant 
growth of the peas, the beauty of madonna lilies 
gleaming white against the dark timber of the 
cottage, or the special size of this year's roses, will 
often make a lasting friendship. No make-believe 
pastime is gardening with them ; it is their true 
recreation. Their lives have been passed amidst 
fields, trees, beautiful hedgerows, and consequently 
they look upon these objects as friends. Surely 
this love of Nature is wholesome both to body and 
mind, and greatly to be encouraged by all who wish 
for the weU-being of England and her Colonies. 

Are we not shown the vast importance of keep- 
ing our rural population away from towns ? Do 
we not thus endeavour with every means in our 
power to improve the cultivation of our land ? 
County Council lectures, flower shows, cottage- 
garden competitions. Nature-study courses, train- 
ing colleges are provided for this purpose. But, 
perhaps, the surest way of all is to make our boys 
and girls fond of bee-keeping, fruit growing, garden- 
ing and all other industries of country life. It 



INTRODUCTION 



xi 



is with them that future success lies, and by 
teaching them to tend small gardens of their own, 
and compete for prizes in tidiness and artistic 
arrangement of flower plots, we shall continue a 
love for the country in future generations. To 
keep them away from the gloom, squalor, and 
temptations of large towns is what we aU wish to 
achieve. Well - tilled, wisely - worked farms, 
orchards, gardens, bring us prosperity ; but we 
gaia a love of Nature, too, from contact with 
such things. This must soften people. It brings 
us nearer God. 

" A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot ! 
Eose plot. 
Fringed pool, 
Ferned grot — 
The veriest school 
Of peace ; and yet the fool 
Contends that God is not — 
Not God ! in gardens ! when the eve is cool ? 
Nay, but I have a sign ; 
'Tis very sure God walks in mine." * 

It is not alone amongst our village people that 
we hope for steady development in the cultiva- 
tion of our soil. They unconsciously assimilate 
much from vfhat they see carried out in the vicarage 
garden, the manor-house orchard, and the large 

* From " My Garden," one of the collected poems of T. E. Brown, 
By kind permission of Messrs. Macmillan and Co. 



xii 



INTRODUCTION 



park. These must set the example both in tidi- 
ness, artistic arrangement, and weU-grown produce. 
Education in taste, as well as scientific know- 
ledge, is required for the heads of these gardens. 
We know that in Japan gardening and flower 
arrangement have attained wonderful perfection. 
There it is necessary to learn for seven years 
before a requisite amount of skill is acquired. 
Not only are artistic effects studied, but flowers 
are used as modes of expression. Different colours 
and combinations convey distinct meanings. 

Surely we Western races should also look upon 
a garden as of the same artistic value as a beau- 
tiful picture, or a many- coloured, skilfully wrought 
piece of embroidery ? In short, so ancient a craft 
should be as intelligently and carefully studied 
as any Fine Art. A garden is a living picture. 
The painter having found a subject, studies each 
detail. Surroundings, background, the position 
it should occupy upon the canvas, what portion 
is to be accurately depicted, which objects are to 
be omitted or only faintly indicated : all these 
points are considered before he takes up his brush. 
A gardener must do likewise. Sometimes, when 
ground is not yet laid out, he must do more. He 
then has to think some years ahead and imagine 
what this bare piece of meadow will be when plants 
have grown in it. The lay of the land, the char- 



INTRODUCTION 



xiii 



acter of the soil, the relation of the house with 
the garden — all have to be weighed before plant- 
ing is commenced. Therefore, our gardeners must 
be artists as well as successful cultivators of 
plants. 

True gardening gives scope for much sym- 
pathy and feeling. There is a soft repose in grey 
and pale pink. An arbour with such colourmg 
invites thoughtfulness, quiet contemplation ; 
whereas orange or bright yellow may, in some 
sad moments, be obtrusive, or jar upon our 
feelings. A brilliant bed of scarlet poppies, if 
put in the right natural surroundings, are gay with 
joie de vivre, whilst gentle pansies appear to look 
with melting human kindness as thev raise their 
little faces appealingly towards us. Good effects 
have been gained by planting large, bold clumps 
of Pampas grass in empty spaces. The situation 
must be very carefully selected or it is apt to strike 
a discord. In the solemn graveyard it soothes ; 
the waving plumes seem to bow down in sym- 
pathy with the mourners, 

A real artist gardener not only has aptitude for 
placing right lines, and forming rich, telling colour 
effects, but he also understands the personality of 
' flowers, the sentiments of colours and scent. A 
painter's instinct tells him where the varied colours 
of a mixed border are allowable, and how else- 



xiv 



INTRODUCTION 



where a touch of strong, brilliant colour is wanted 
to lead again to a shaded path of mystery. 

In order successfully to accomplish this Fine 
Art gardening, which we in England are now 
ambitious to have, artistic, well-educated, refined 
head gardeners are needed. From our Colonies, 
too, comes a cry for skilled and well-instructed 
" heads." There they have plenty of hands to 
do mechanical work, numbers of " coolies " to do 
menial jobs, but they want more intelligent direc- 
tors and guides to industry. Again, in our schools, 
we require for the children those who sympathise 
with school garden work and Nature -study. 

These, then, are the ambitions of lady gar- 
deners. They do not wish to supplant able, clever 
men head-gardeners, nor even to compete with 
them. They do desire, however, to assist as far 
as their strength allows, by lending intelligence, 
good taste, refinement, towards securing better 
cultivation of our great country. What they lack 
in physical strength they endeavour to compen- 
sate by other equally important, yet softer, womanly 
qualities. 

This book has two objects in view. It hopes, 
by means of practical advice — in fact, by some it 
may be considered somewhat Spartan counsel — 
to draw attention to what is required of lady gar- 
deners. The other aim is to show employers what 



INTRODUCTION 



XV 



would be gained by appointing them; at the 
same time to disarm any mistaken illusion which 
may have arisen that ladies wish to supplant men 
gardeners. They merely intend to supplement and 
increase the good work which men are doing for 
our land. 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



Part I 

CHAPTER I 

GARDENING AS A PROFESSION FOR WOMEN 

Daughters of many professional men are obliged 
to earn a living. It often happens that the head 
of the family, after years of hard work, has to 
retire owing either to illness or age. His pension 
is a small one, and it becomes necessary for his 
daughters, as well as his sons, to make a career 
for themselves. They have been accustomed, 
perhaps, to a comfortable home, with a con- 
siderable number of luxuries, and the question as 
to the best method of earning a living must 
necessarily be a difficult one. In this connection 
it is, I hope, pardonable to quote a passage from 
Mrs. Creighton's recent article upon women's 
education, which created great interest among 
those concerned with the welfare of young women. 
She wrote : — "It is tolerably well agreed what 

B 



2 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



men should be ; but social conditions wliich pro- 
duce a preponderance of the female population 
and make it impossible for some women, how- 
ever much they may desire it, to be married, are 
inconvenient and disturbing to the views of most 
men. 

" The existence of v/omen who, whether they 
like it or not, are bound to work for their liveli- 
hood, is, as a rule, only unwillingly recognised as 
an exception ; the existence of women who claim 
to have a life of their own is still more upsetting 
to all ideas of a well-constituted universe." 

A somewhat mistaken idea is sometimes held 
that women who are obliged to follow a definite 
career are less likely to marry than their sisters 
who remain at home in quiet surroundings. It is 
often found, however, that of the daughters, say, 
of a country clergyman living in some remote corner 
of England, it is those out in the world as secre- 
taries, companions, or gardeners who do marry. 
Not only has a wider sphere of life brought them 
friends, but their knowledge of the world has 
taught them how to keep them. They have larger 
interests, broader views, and are therefore hap- 
pier than their sisters, who remain at home in 
village surroundings. They should, too, be better 
helpmates to men leading active lives. If they 
are sensible, wise, good women, they should not 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 3 



lose by contact with people of different types 
any of that gentleness and softness which are the 
chief attractions of a woman. 

The choice of a career depends largely upon the 
character and bringing up of a girl. Unless she 
is fond of out-of-door life, however, she must not 
think of becoming a gardener, and she will probably 
find that her parents look somewhat critically upon 
this profession. They have an uncomfortable 
feeling that the head of a private garden is only a 
kind of servant, and in market, jobbing, or land- 
scape gardening they see a life of constant dig- 
ging and delving ; a struggle to compete with the 
strength of a working man. The disadvantages — 
many days of rain and wind, early rising, dis- 
agreeable menial jobs — all assume larger propor- 
tions to them than the benefits that are to be 
derived. Parents are perfectly right to point out 
all these drawbacks to their daughter. They 
should be fully realised and weighed before she 
embarks upon such a career. Professional gar- 
dening is no child's play. It means at least three 
years of diligent study and hard work before 
any considerable remuneration can be sought. 

Let the girl who is leaving college carefully 
view all sides of the question, and, above all, 
let her wait until she is twenty before she takes 
any decisive step. Having reached years of dis- 



4 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



cretion, and being full grown and strong in health, 
the advantages of a gardener's life will probably 
attract her. If, during her childhood, she has had 
the care of a plot of ground in the home garden, 
or has had bees or poultry under her charge, it 
will be pain and grief to her to leave these pur- 
suits and live in the confinement of a town. The 
thought of a stuffy London typewriting office, and 
the long, dark evenings in cheap lodgings, will 
be repulsive to her. She will miss the wide, open 
stretches of sky, the coming and going of the 
seasons. How she will long for a sight of cowslips 
in the meadows and the fresh, sweet scent of 
gorse. Perhaps, if she is a governess or companion, 
she may live in the country and have all these 
pleasures, but will she fully relish them if she has 
no freedom ? Her evenings may possibly not be 
her own, and during the day, too, she will have to 
accommodate her wishes to those of others. The 
well-known lines of Richard Jefferies will con- 
stantly recur to her, and she will see the wisdom 
of them. " Let us be always out of doors among 
trees and grass and rain and wind and sun. Let 
us get out of these indoor, narrow, modern days, 
whose twelve hours somehow have become short- 
ened, into the sunlight and the pure wind. A 
something that the ancients called divine can be 
found and felt there still." 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 5 



The profession of gardening offers a consider- 
able amount of freedom, the refining influence of 
poetry and beauty, contact with intelligent, inter- 
esting people, and health and happiness to body 
and mind. These, to an active, out-of-door, young 
woman are very great advantages. Then, too, 
there are different branches of the profession, so 
that a selection is possible as to which best suits 
her talents. Should she be fond of teaching, she 
can hold classes in Nature Study or botany ; 
if she has taste and talent for drawing, she 
can take up landscape gardening. With a 
small amount of capital to invest, she may 
start a market garden, with every prospect of 
success. 

There are, too, the higher branches of horti- 
culture, such as the treatment of rare greenhouse 
plants, hybridisation, cross-fertilisation, and the 
handling of orchids. All these intensely interest- 
ing, intellectual matters require such dainty skill, 
so much thought, that there is no doubt whatever 
they are suited to ladies. Many who practise in 
these branches employ women to execute the minute 
operations that are so often entailed, because their 
light touch is better adapted to the purpose than 
the heavy hand of a man. Few women have up 
to the present studied long enough to sm-pass men 
in these matters, but there is a certain future 



6 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



for them in such work if they persevere in 
study. 

It must be borne in mind that horticulture is 
still a comparatively new profession for women, 
and that unless those who enter it strive to give 
full time and application to learning its details 
they cannot hope to be successful. Some few 
failures have occurred already, much to the regret 
of all keenly interested onlookers. These have 
been caused by anxiety to earn something before 
proficient knowledge had been acquired. It is 
the same, I believe, in all new professions ; and 
it is only now, after many years of striving, that 
women have attained success as sick nurses, secre- 
taries, and teachers. The first who went into the 
arena made mistakes, and possibly paved the way 
for their successors, who noted the causes of failure, 
and mended their ways. Let us hope that this 
will be the case in horticulture, for there is no 
reason why women should not succeed in it. More- 
over, we have already some brilliant examples of 
success. Those who are thinking of taking it up 
should spare no pains to gain a complete education, 
for only then, when they are themselves worth 
something, can they expect remuneration. 



CHAPTER II 

THE TRAINING REQUIRED 

There are various ways of obtaining the necessary 
training to be a lady gardener. Both at home 
and abroad numerous colleges and schools exist 
where young women are well instructed in all 
branches of Horticulture. A college course is 
necessary, but if a girl is not more than twenty 
years of age (and it is advisable that she should 
not be much younger when she commences her 
training) it will help her to be apprenticed for a 
year or two first in a private garden. Should she 
prefer, it will be better still to spend two years 
at a small school where instruction is more in- 
dividual and personal than in a large college. 
Here the students are few in number, and care- 
fully selected, and it is possible to learn in 
the same way that the working man learned, 
when he began as a garden boy. The pupil will 
be ordered to do menial jobs, such as turning 
manure, wheeling refuse, sweeping leaves, or mow- 
ing a lawn. This comparative drudgery must 



8 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



be gone througli in order to understand how to 
direct others. Even wheeling a barrow full of 
soil and washing out pots is interesting if the 
heart be in the profession and there is the wish 
to succeed. 

In a private garden or small school, too, it will 
be possible to follow the ultimate use the pots are 
put to, after they are washed, and the reason for 
each operation will be more easily made apparent 
than is the case in a lar^e colleoje, where lectures 
and theoretical classes are sometimes put before 
practice. AMien there is a large number of 
students, too, it is impossible that all should 
take part in each operation. Personal interest 
in the garden is apt to be lost sight of, and teach- 
ing becomes a " demonstration," where the expert 
does the work, and the students look on. They 
cannot thus learn in the only thorough way, by 
working themselves. 

In a college course, hours are often suited to 
the requirements of expert lecturers, and students 
are apt to ignore the fixed hours of work observed 
in a privat^e garden. I have known students to 
whom it never occurred that it might not be agree- 
able to the family to hear the sound of raking on 
a gravel path outside the breakfast room, and who 
were unconscious of its being an ofience against 
garden etiquette for them to shout remarks t^3 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 9 



fellow students across the flower beds. Then, too, 
fixed school holidays, which are necessary in large 
communities, sometimes interfere with the possi- 
bility of seeing certain operations performed. 

I therefore strongly advocate a course of 
manual work, like that of the garden boy, as 
an introduction to more serious training. This 
routine work will enable the pupil to understand 
college lectures, when the time comes to attend 
them. Theoretic teaching can then be applied 
to the treatment of soil and plants. 

Not possessed of the strength and facility 
for manual work of a man, the girl student must 
make up for this deficiency by intelligent reason- 
ing. She should follow closely in the footsteps 
of science, and have a reason for each operation. 
What is heard in the chemistry laboratory has to 
be applied in practice in the garden. When the 
dismal herbaceous border, upon which so much 
money has been spent, is seen, the cause of failure 
will be known. After all the talk, trouble and 
expense, why does it lack colour ? Surely some 
ingredient in the soil is missing — dress it with 
lime, put more manure or leaf mould, as the case 
may be. 

I believe that some people imagine that a 
lady gardener is intended always to remain at 
work amongst the swept- up leaves and garden 



10 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



refuse ! But if her intelligence is not sufficient 
to make her soar speedily beyond the powers of 
a £1 a week man gardener, she had better take 
up other work, for she certainly cannot compete 
with him in physical strength. 

A course of study for two or three years, such 
as I have described, is certainly not too lengthy. 
Each plant, shrub, tree, goes through the same 
phases once in each year. Although these processes 
are repeated year after year, they may be sub- 
jected to variations of weather and temperature. 
Different treatment is probably necessary each 
year. Time only can show this. Books teach 
much and so also do lectures, but only when sup- 
plemented by practical experience, will they make 
a competent gardener. 

The intending girl-gardener should make up 
her mind from the beginning that she must spend 
money on a three years' course of training. It 
should be taken in the way that best suits the 
individual case ; there need never be regret for 
the money spent upon it. It is only by skill and 
knowledge that employment will eventually be 
secured. 

Therefore the beginner should do some practical 
work in a garden, and cram botany, chemistry, 
and physics into her head. When she has a 
free day, or if other opportunity occurs, visits 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 11 



should be made to other gardens. Then it will 
be possible to learn the names and habits of new 
plants, and, by studying a different treatment of 
them, the powers of observation will be increased. 

After college training an effort should be made 
to get a subordinate paid post, for whatever branch 
of Horticulture it is decided to specialise in. No 
attempt should be made to superintend a large 
garden until, as they say of children, the student 
has learned " to feel her feet." 

I propose to give a short account of the different 
branches available from which a selection can 
be made. It will be convenient to divide them 
into two classes : — 

A. Which require training and education 

only 

I. — Landscape Gardening. 

II. — Jobbing Gardening. 

III. — Head gardener in a private 
garden. 

B. Which requires capital as well as train- 

ing and education : — 
Market Gardening. 



CHAPTER III 



LANDSCAPE GARDENING 

This wide field of study is one which, women 
are well suited to, provided they have brains 
and good taste. In order to be really successful, 
imagination is required, as well as other qualities 
that are needed by an ordinary head gardener. 
No amount of study or training can adapt an 
inartistic woman to this profession, but given 
artistic feeling, the power of conveying her ideas 
to her employers and to those working for her, 
great possibilities are within reach. Many fail, 
perhaps, by a headstrong desire to carry out their 
own plans ; they do not regard sufficiently the 
views and wishes of those for whom they work. A 
considerable amount of tact is necessary, in order 
to obtain the confidence of the owner of the garden. 
Having ascertained his requirements, and made 
these the centre of the scheme, the woman-gardener's 
imagination should help to fill in all details. 

I assume that the candidate for such a position 
has had a good general education, and is well 

12 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 13 



grounded in botany and botanical geography. 
It is necessary that she should be able to draw, 
and a knowledge of simple plane geometry and 
geometrical drawing is essential. She must be 
able to make a sketch plan showing the proposed 
alterations with their measurements. In some 
cases, where the employer is not himself a draughts- 
man or does not read a ground plan easily, the 
lady gardener may find it useful to have recourse 
to a different system for conveying her meaning 
to him. 

I have seen a rough model made in cardboard 
to represent the house, and real soil used to surround 
it, with little twigs placed here and there in 
imitation of trees or hedges. This is a somewhat 
childish means of experimenting upon future 
alterations, but in cases where the owner is un- 
decided or unable completely to grasp the effect 
which will be attained by moving soil, or planting 
trees, the model may be exceedingly useful. The 
soil can be so easily shifted from side to side with 
the hands, a tree planted here, a dividing hedge 
placed there, until the desired efiect is attained. 
Then, too, it may convey well to the contractor 
(who possibly undertakes the whole alteration) 
the exact amount of labour that he will have to 
expend. 

Another way of conveying ideas for proposed 



14 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



alterations is by means of a " prophetic drawing." 
That is to say, if a rose arbour is to be made, a 
sketch, with finished details of what it should 
look like two years hence, when the roses have 
climbed to the summit of the pergola, may in- 
fluence the owner in his decision to put the matter 
in hand. It is important that all these methods 
of conveying intentions should be studied. 

A slight acquaintance with geology will be 
useful in forming rock work. Most of these 
subjects, together with survepng, can be learnt 
at a Municipal School, but the more thoroughly 
they are acquired the better. 

Methodical habits are essential. So many 
women, compelled to earn a living, fail in this. 
They do not note expenses carefully ; they are 
not business-Hke in rendering an account of wages 
paid out; and they do not trouble to obtain estimates 
of work to be done. The education of women is 
much at fault in these respects, but certainly, 
until this lack of business qualities is replaced by 
methodical ways, we shall be considered the 
reverse of helpful. 

It will greatly assist the young gardener if 
visits are paid to many gardens, both private 
ones as well as market gardens. Small cottage 
gardens or wayside hedgerows should not be 
despised ; much can be learnt by looking at 



GARDENING FOE WOMEN 15 



both. The plants that are natural to the climate 
and soil are at once detected in this way, and 
knowledge is obtained as to what will most 
speedily lend itself to an effect of foliage or colom:. 
Often, the chance arrangement of a large mass 
of gypsophila with bright colom-ed nasturtiums 
interwoven with its feathery flowers, or pansies 
springing up between an old paved path, may 
give ideas for a large garden. The " Traveller's 
Joy," and blackberries, that grow so rampantly 
on chalk, will make a pergola look clothed 
before a rarer plant could grow three feet up 
it. 

If possible, a trip abroad should be taken ; it 
would give fresh ideas, if the fields of mauve 
autumn crocuses in France, or the terraces and 
vineyards of Italy, could be seen. There are so 
many different ways of building pergolas, training 
creepers, and tying vines to posts. If we adopt 
some of these foreign styles in England it gives 
a touch of Italy to our tame English gardens. 
Copious notes should be made of all that is seen, 
and the knowledge thus acquired can be readily 
applied to designs for gardens here. 

All books on landscape gardening, new and 
old, must be studied ; many old-fashioned plans 
of mazes and beds can so easily be used or adapted 
to modern grounds, and with some knowledge of 



16 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



architecture, it will be easy to place the right 
design near a house. 

All gardens must be chiefly considered with 
a view to improving the appearance of the house. 
This must be the starting point and first con- 
sideration. Planting specimen trees and lovely 
plants is of secondary moment. No school or 
college can teach good taste ; some people will 
learn it instinctively, others will never acquire 
it. With constant observation and copious notes, 
artistic feeling in gardening may certainly be 
increased. It will be helpful to know the habits, 
mode of growth, etc., of trees, shrubs, and garden 
plants. Their time of flowering, and appearance, 
are more important matters for consideration than 
the actual ability to grow them. A head gardener 
can cultivate them, when the broad effects of 
colour have been planned and decided upon. 

As much knowledge as possible must be gained 
concerning soils, manures, road making, draining, 
pond making, levelling, embanking, and there 
must be the ability roughly to calculate the cost 
of such operations. By apprenticeship, or by 
going to watch someone who is making large and 
extensive alterations, much can be learnt. Facility 
is acquired in estimating the time that is taken 
in carting soil, or loading manure, by watching 
a large staff of men at work ; experience can thus 



GARDENING FOE WOMEN 17 



be gained as to the best method to map out work. 
It is so essential to save labour and untidiness. 
A job that has to be done twice over is distressing 
to all concerned. The organisation of work can 
only be arrived at by planning out each detail 
beforehand, and orders can at once be given as 
to where the excavated soil is to be placed so that 
it may, at a future time, be handy for a further 
development of the plan. 

We are considering this branch of gardening 
as one that may be gone in for without capital. 
AVhen the training is completed it will be best to 
advertise for work. The terms for paying a 
preliminary visit and giving general advice should 
be stated. After this, should an understanding 
with an employer be arrived at, the further charges 
will depend upon the way in which the work has 
to be carried out. Perhaps it may only be neces- 
sary to pay an occasional visit to the scene of 
operations and see how the head gardener is 
executing his orders. In this case a guinea or 
more a visit would be the remuneration. It may 
answer the purpose better to obtain the services 
of a local contractor, and having explained the 
whole plan carefully to him, let him quote a price 
for the fulfilment of the contract. The fees would 
then be so much per cent, upon the total. 

Under all circumstances it will be necessary to 
c 



18 GARDENING FOE WOMEN 



deal tactfully with tlie men who do the work. The 
ideal way of carrying out landscape gardening 
would be to have a staff of permanent workmen, 
who would accompany the landscape gardener to 
the various gardens, and carry out her directions. 
How much more quickly things would often go, 
if she had her own men to rely upon. As this, 
however, means capital, it should not be con- 
sidered here, and stress can only be laid upon 
the necessity for making orders concise and clear, 
and studying the characters of the various work- 
people, so as to succeed in obtaining the largest 
value possible out of their services. The power of 
interesting them in their work is a useful adjunct. 
Often a friendly word, or placing some slight 
responsibihty upon a workman, will double the 
amount he tries to do. 

At first it will be difficult to obtain work. Any 
successful plans that are carried out gratis for 
friends are sure to lead to further employment, 
and each good thing achieved will bring other 
opportunities. Should there still be time on hand, 
perhaps an architect may be found who is wilHng 
to secure the help of a well-trained garden designer. 

No fixed rules for obtaining employment can 
be laid down. Ambition and keen desire to get 
on will steer best to the right channel for seeking 
work. Several municipal authorities are willing 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 19 



to employ women as landscape gardeners. Should 
it be possible for women to make a success of 
private garden designs, it would surely help to- 
wards their appointment to larger spheres of land- 
scape garden work. The laying out of parks, 
squares, and garden cities could be handed over 
to them, and what a large source of interest this 
would be. 

It is unfortunate that we in England attach 
so little importance to the study of forestry. In 
none of our agricultural colleges is it taught in 
the same thorough way as in Germany. A great 
future might be open to a lady who studied this 
subject. It might be possible to induce a consulting 
forester in England, Scotland, or, better still, in 
Germany, to take a pupil. This subject, if fully 
mastered, would be of the greatest use in carrying 
out large alterations in public parks or private 
grounds. 

To any lady with a love of nature, the pos- 
session of taste, and possibly the wish to improve 
and add to the beauty of our EngKsh country 
homes, this branch of gardening will greatly 
appeal. What a pleasurable sensation it is to 
see a lovely picture growing daily more like the 
plan that was roughly sketched out. How satis- 
factory to watch the building up of that stately 
terrace beneath the house, which puts the finishing 



20 



GARDENING FOE WOMEN 



touch to the beauty of the building itself. Without 
a terrace, the house would appear insignificant 
and poor — now it seems to have grown in dignity 
and stateliness. What pleasant days, too, can be 
spent in noting the happy results of garden- 
making, such as we see in the great yew trees of 
Levens, the grand Avenues of Le Notre, at Ver- 
sailles, or the clever grouping of trees in many an 
English park. Here we, who come some two 
hundred years after, reap the full benefit of what 
then had the appearance only of a flat field dotted 
with stiff little baby trees. We can follow the 
old plans and ideas, but by using quicker growing 
materials it is possible to develop a picture under 
our eyes. 



CHAPTER IV 



JOBBING GARDENING AND FLORAL DECORATION 

Often, as we drive through London suburbs, 
we see remains of some former stately Georgian 
house. Perhaps, a hundred and fifty years ago, 
when it was built, it stood isolated, with only a 
quiet country village near by. In the gardens 
were hedges of rosemary and lavender, fruitful 
pear trees were trained upon high walls, a slender 
little lady in a flowered brocade made sweet pot 
pourri with pink rose leaves. All that now re- 
mains of the garden is a small Adams summer 
house, built up into the wall, having a quaint 
shaped Dutch roof. A charming outlook it 
was when " My Lady " watched for " My 
Lord " riding home from London. All that now 
brings to us a touch of romance is the undis- 
turbed yew hedge and a few box- edged formal 
beds. The garden has been divided off into villa 
plots. 

Everywhere these villas spring up. We see 
long roads of them in each suburb ; in seaside 

21 



21 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 

towns, watering places, and golfing centres we 
find tliem too. Each house has a garden, which 
is not necessarily large enough to supply the 
family with vegetables, but usually a small, level 
lawn is contrived for tennis or croquet ; and a 
small portion near the road is kept gay with flowers. 
It is amusing, as we walk along, to compare taste 
in gardening at Clarence House with that dis- 
played next door at Highclere Villa ; to note how 
preferable is the natural arrangement of well- 
grown tea-roses in one, to the star-shaped beds of 
stiff geraniums in another. 

Who looks after these small gardens ? Often 
an uneducated working man, whose chief idea is 
to keep them tidy. This is commendable, but 
tidiness is not the only pleasurable feature of a 
garden. To plan successful combinations of colour 
really brings happiness, to have means of tending 
little bits of tender, precious plants, gifts of friends, 
is what contents us. It would help many owners 
of such gardens to hand them over to the care 
of a lady. The size of the piece of ground is not 
too much for her to look after, the work is not 
arduous. In fact, she can limit her work to 
a given number of days a week, or even hall 
days. 

This kind of jobbing gardening, although well 
paid, would only content those who are obliged 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 23 



to live at home and require some light garden 
work, after their course of training is completed. 
It is remunerative, very little responsibility is 
entailed, and, to a certain extent, it is possible 
to combine it with home duties. The interest 
of it need not be restricted to the actual manual 
labour of mowing and rolling the small lawn 
and planting out seedlings. A small greenhouse 
is perhaps attached, and pleasant social inter- 
course may be had, if the owner is also interested 
in gardening. 

To those who are ambitious for a wider scope 
to their capacity, this kind of jobbing gardening 
will be insuflScient. If they have a little capital 
and some experience, it will well repay them to 
start a small nursery garden and not only supply 
labour for these villa gardens, but also sell plants 
to them. Some business capacity is necessary, 
but if, in addition, strong, healthy plants are 
raised, there is no limit to the possibilities of such 
a business. Should friends combine in such an 
undertaking, it can be worked without assistance 
from working men. If, however, as is very likely 
to occur, the staff of lady assistants is called upon 
to give advice in laying out small gardens, arrang- 
ing plants in window boxes, decorating rooms for 
concerts, dances, etc., men would have to be 
employed to do the heavy work. The planning, 



24 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



organising, and directing is what ladies should 
excel in. 

By procuring large instalments of bulbs, rais- 
ing quantities of perennials from seed, keeping up 
a plentiful supply of bedding-out plants on their 
own land, a satisfactory effect can be produced 
in many villa gardens at comparatively small cost. 
For a fixed sum per annum the jobbing gardener 
could undertake to keep in good order, plant and 
tend all in each small garden. It is easily esti- 
mated that this kind of work becomes, after 
the first outlay, exceedingly remunerative and 
interesting. There is employment for old and 
young, strong and delicate ; a happy combination 
of interests and tastes is what should perhaps 
be most sought for by the staff of ladies in such an 
enterprise. Secretarial work, planning tempting 
price lists, would fall to the lot of one, whilst 
landscape gardening would belong to another. 

In all branches of horticulture the remuneration 
to be obtained by a lady should not be less than 
that earned by a man. She is indeed entitled 
to receive even more than a man head gardener, 
as compensation for her superior taste and good 
education. The particulars which I am able to 
give of Mrs. Chamberlain's work on p. 257 show 
how large a sphere can be covered by jobbing 
gardening, and in Miss Agar's account (p. 253) 



GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 25 



will be found particulars of the remuneration that 
can be usually claimed by a lady expert. 

Floral decoration may be combined with job- 
bing gardening, or it may be undertaken apart 
from any other interests. 

All will agree that the work of arranging 
flowers is undoubtedly suited to ladies. It needs 
good taste, an eye for colour, lightness of touch 
and great patience. These qualities are possessed 
by most young gentlewomen, but if they are not 
natural to them, practice will, as a rule, teach 
sufficient for the execution of the mechanical 
part of the work. The preliminary stage of train- 
ing is perhaps least tempting, for it involves long, 
tiring hours, spent in a hot, unrestful florist's 
shop. It will be found best to serve an appren- 
ticeship in this way for some months. Possibly 
the people met there are not very obliging or 
polished ; often work has to be done under extreme 
pressure, as many orders have to be ready at the 
same moment, and the freshness of flowers has to 
be greatly considered. Bouquets, dinner-tables, 
all have to be postponed until the last safe moment. 
Consequently there remains but little time for en- 
joyment of completed work, and there is very 
scant appreciation. Work which has to be hurried 
is seldom pleasing. Being chiefly mechanical, how^- 
ever, it rapidly becomes easier to carry out the 



26 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



different orders, and then real enjoyment begins. 
The business becomes interesting to the novice 
when she is sufficiently trusted to exert her 
imagination, and make suggestions as to blending 
different flowers and foliage. From the moment 
when she comes into contact with those who 
give the order, that best incentive, personal 
interest, is aroused. As in the case of jobbing 
gardening, it is possible for a girl to live at 
home and yet have floral decoration as a daytime 
interest. This, too, is a saving. 

The premium for acquiring experience is a heavy 
one. It varies according to the position and 
reputation of the florist's shop, but it is never less 
than £15, and it often reaches £50. During the 
first year it is not usual to obtain a salary. There 
are exceptions to this rule, as will be seen on 
p. 257, in the account of the Women's Gardening 
Association. 

Only those who have tried it know what tiring 
work flower arrangement is, and only strong, able- 
bodied girls should contemplate such a profession. 
Success, as in all undertakings, comes after long 
perseverance and patience. The ideal method 
of carrying on this business is to have a nursery 
garden and raise suitable flowers in it to supply 
one's own shop. It is then merely necessary to super- 
intend, and give general ideas as to arrangement. 



GARDENING FOE WOMEN 27 



With thorough business habits and very good 
taste, there is no saying what sum might not be 
realised by a woman in this direction. Like 
millinery or dressmaking, it needs a combination 
of qualities, and is essentially a woman's art. 



CHAPTER V 



THE TEACHING OF NATURE-STUDY 

When, at Christmas time, we searcli the shelves 
of a London book shop, to find fresh " Golliwog " 
adventures or new fairy tales, are we not struck 
by the importance given to another class of child's 
book ? " The Fairchild Family," " Struwelpeter," 
Hans Andersen's tales, books that we were brought 
up upon, are superseded by a totally new kind. 
Anything relating to living things, birds, mammals, 
plants, wild flowers, fruit, is what we now give 
our children. In short, nature-study, and every- 
thing connected with it, is the fashion. It forms 
not only an important part of education, but it 
also is recreation. Possibly we encourage it as a 
reversion from over-much science and book-learn- 
ing, which is apt to produce a somewhat unhealthy, 
overstrained, nervous condition. The philosophy 
of the " Simple Life," which is preached so much, 
is a reaction from these abnormal conditions to 
the natural, healthy order of existence. 

Up to now, we stand only upon the threshold 

28 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 29 



of these new ideas, we hardly realise the wealth 
and meaning of this new philosophy. We only 
know that a still greater use is in store for it, 
and that, through it, greater happiness will ensue 
for us. The right application of nature study 
and all that it embraces, to the education of 
children, is one of the most important develop- 
ments of our day. All those who are ambitious 
for the prosperity of our future England should 
give very careful consideration to these matters. 
More and more we learn that the first endeavour 
of a school is to teach people to live. This new 
study tends to connect school teaching with life 
at home. By means of such schooling, our children 
acquire from earliest days habits of observation. 
They appreciate all wonders and beauties of 
natural objects around them. Lovely wild flowers 
on our downs, many grasses in our meadows, 
clouds, stars, all become real friends. 

Love of nature, which familiarity with her 
beauty breeds, is not only wholesome for children 
of the upper classes. It is good for them, but 
more especially do we need an increase of such 
knowledge amongst the poor little waifs and strays 
of our great cities and towns, who have so few 
bright moments in their dull grey lives. If these 
nature study classes can help them, should we 
not do our utmost to encourage more ladies to 



It 




PAGE FROM A BOY'S NATURE STUDY SKETCH-BOOK. 

A PUPIL OF MR. J. P. WILLIAMS, HURSTPIERPOINT, SUSSEX. 

(See opposite Plate.) 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 31 



take up this form of study in order to impart it 
to them with sympathy ? 

Then, too, in our country villages, is it not wise 
to foster in young people a love of everything con- 
nected with country life ? Will it not help largely 
to induce them to remain on the land and not 
migrate to the hardships and squalor of crowded 
towns ? 

The two chief aims of education are to draw 
out individuality and personahty. This is cer- 
tainly accomplished with success when we see 
representations as are shown herewith from a 
child's nature study diary. 

We in England are sadly behind Germany and 
America in this branch of education. It is only 
a short time ago that children in our schools were 
encouraged to bring objects from out-of-doors into 
the schoolroom for examination. They were asked 
to make collections of lichen, ferns, or wild fruits ; 
and what charming devices one has seen, wrought 
by ingenuity out of all these lovely things. Now, 
however, we have made a decided stride, for by 
means of school gardens, which gradually replace 
the dreary bit of asphalt playground, we go out 
to seek objects in their natural surroundings. 
Soon, teachers in our elementary schools, possess- 
ing the Froebel and kindergarten certificate and 
a Government teacher's certificate, will doubtless 



32 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



be fired with ambition ; will vie with each other 
in improving upon this system of education. We 
shall have others following the example of the 
late Miss Lucy R. Latter. She it was who did 
such good work in this respect as head infants' 
mistress of the Invicta Road Council School, 
Westcombe Park. Having carefully studied the 
question in Italy, France, and the United States, 
she was given a commission by the Government of 
the Maharajah to start school gardens in con- 
nection with the public school system of Mysore. 
Teachers were prepared by her to carry on the 
work ; and let us hope that, although gloom has 
been cast by her sudden death, they will yet have 
been inspired by her to continue their efforts. 

There is no doubt that the school garden 
successfully developed is the pivot round which 
nature -study revolves, and as time goes on it 
will be seen more and more that gardening and 
nature-study have much in common. Those ladies 
who have talent for teaching, and have been 
through a course of gardening, will find many 
openings for work. A garden, although artificial, 
is far less so than a schoolroom, and it combines 
scope for general education, quite apart from mere 
manual horticultural teaching. 

I am informed by one of the greatest authorities 
upon this subject that science mistresses do not 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 33 



exist in sufficient numbers to supply the demand 
for them. In this country it is a great recom- 
mendation for a woman to be able to teach nature- 
study, and there is no difficulty in the way of a 
post being obtained by one who possesses know- 
ledge and who can impart it. As new training 
colleges and secondary girls' schools are instituted, 
the demand will become greater, and it is in the 
realms of possibility that there may be women 
teachers of nature -study wanted in South Africa 
and in India, though Canada and Australia are 
capable of supplying all the teachers they want 
themselves. 

Those who are interested in this subject will 
do well to read the Notes in the Swanley College 
and other reports in the second part of this 
volume. 



D 



CHAPTER VI 



SOME HINTS UPON TAKING UP A POST AS HEAD 
GAEDENER 

I ASSUME that a candidate for a position as head 
gardener has been through a two years' course of 
study at one of the Horticultural Colleges or at a 
school, and has been under-gardener for a year or 
more in a private garden. No doubt she has learnt 
how to grow flowers, vegetables, and fruit, but it is 
possible that she does not know much about the 
routine work which she will now have to 
superintend. As principal of the Glynde School 
for Lady Gardeners, I have had to study this sub- 
ject, and the following notes, some of which are 
compiled with the help of a former superintendent, 
Miss J. S. Turner, are offered for use. 

A lady gardener is still somewhat of an experi- 
ment to owners of gardens, and, therefore, each 
one who takes up the work is, in a sense, the 
pioneer of a new profession for women ; it rests with 
her to make or mar the success of future lady 
gardeners. If she is a failure, or does not give 

34 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 35 



satisfaction, it may prevent other employers from 
engaging lady gardeners. This should not, how- 
ever, be allowed to discourage or intimidate an 
applicant for such a post. There is no doubt 
that a lady, with superior education, tact and 
taste, should succeed where many men have 
failed. It must be borne in mind that the em- 
ployer's pleasure has to be studied, and that the 
men will have to be managed with firmness and 
strict fairness. Where these points are carried 
out intelligently, the success of an intensely inter- 
esting career is fairly secured. 

If possible, it is advisable that the duties 
should commence at Michaelmas, which is the 
beginning of the agricultural and horticultural 
year. If a start is made in the spring, most of 
the praise or blame that ensues during the re- 
mainder of the horticultural year belongs by right 
to the previous gardener. 

Autumn and winter are the seasons for laying 
a good foundation, for forming plans, and clean- 
ing up. " Well begun is half done," but it is 
more than " half done " in gardening. Unless the 
winter foundation is correctly laid, the summer 
superstructure will be wrong, or there is a chance 
of there being no structure at all. 

The first thing for a lady " head " to do is to 
have a good look round. She must see what crops 



36 GARDENING FOE WOMEN 



are still on the ground, what preparation has been 
made for winter and spring crops, and the state 
the houses and frames are in. Everything under 
her care must be clean and in good order. 

Her aim is to fulfil all requirements of the 
family which she serves, and, in order to succeed, 
she must ascertain their wants. These vary with 
each family, and it is not possible to lay down 
any fixed rules. Many questions that will need 
answering should be noted down, and an inter- 
view should be requested of the lady of the house, 
or whoever is most interested in the garden. 

I will only draw attention to a few points which 
need consideration, and these can either be decided 
by the gardener herself, should she be given a 
free hand, or settled by the employer. 

(1) The hours of work and holidays for the 
garden staff. Arrangements should be made also 
for power to dismiss any subordinate who is 
lazy or misbehaves ; and this should be acted upon 
without hesitation upon the first proof of neglect. 

(2) The payment of men, and the number of 
extra ones allowed for additional work. In large 
gardens, this matter comes under the estate 
department, but in small gardens the head gardener 
deals with it. 

(3) The days and hours that will be most con- 
venient for the despatch of routine work, such as 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 37 



mowing, tidying, etc. Some ladies have week- 
end parties, and require the place to look especially 
neat on Sundays. There may be small but 
necessary rules about sweeping and tidying the 
carriage drive, cleaning and washing garden steps or 
benches, the position of seats, tents, croquet hoops, 
marking tennis courts, etc. The employer's wishes 
should be ascertained, orders given accordingly, 
and it should be seen that these are carried out. 

(4) The days and hours for picking flowers for 
the house. If it is the gardener's duty to arrange 
the cut flowers, this must be gone into carefully, 
as it is probably one of the most important matters 
in the eyes of the lady of the house. Should the 
family be in London, there will be fixed days for 
sending flowers, vegetables, and fruit to them ; 
all these matters have to be carefully noted. The 
amount of green foliage required for mixing with 
cut flowers also varies with different people's 
taste. It must be ascertained whether many pot 
plants are required in the sitting-rooms, or if cut 
flowers are chiefly used ; and if so, which are the 
favourite kinds and colours. It will then be easy 
to decide which plot of ground should be used as 
a reserve garden for cut flowers, and what pro- 
portion of mignonette, violets, lilies of the valley, 
etc., will be needed for decoration. 

(5) Another matter, which only the lady of 



38 GARDENING FOE WOMEN 



the house can decide, will be the arrangements 
for bedding out, or the grouping and colouring 
required for herbaceous borders. If she has taste, 
and is artistic, it is necessary only to carry out 
her plans. Possibly she may leave the matter 
to the gardener ; in which case visits should be 
made to a few neighbouring gardens to ascertain 
what plants and climbers are best suited to the 
climate and soil. Having put the plans on paper, 
an estimate can be formed of the quantity of 
bulbs, plants, shrubs, or climbers required for 
the whole garden. The autumn is the best time 
to order these. There remains then a further 
point upon which advice should be asked. 

(6) The ordering of seeds, plants, tools, and 
garden requisites may be in the gardener's depart- 
ment, or it may be managed by the estate. In 
any case, it will be a good plan to touch upon these 
matters to the employer. Unimportant as they 
may appear, it is wise for him to deal with local 
tradesmen, and, therefore, a stranger to the neigh- 
bourhood will have to learn their names, and 
what things they each excel in. The carting 
of purchases from the station to the garden is a 
matter for careful consideration. Should this be 
done by the estate, it must be borne in mind that, 
when the yearly accounts are sent in, the estate 
will wish to appear economical as regards its 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 39 



own requirements, and if the gardener is not on 
good terms with the agent or bailiff, it is possible 
that the total at the bottom of the garden expense 
column may be surprisingly large. My advice, 
therefore, is to make friends with the estate 
department. When pea boughs, and timber for 
rails are needed, when locks are to be repaired, or 
hinges fixed, it is good to have a friend at court. 

(7) Occasionally matters are put under a 
gardener's direction which can hardly be called 
garden work. The washing down of drains, clean- 
ing away leaves from the roof gutters, brushing 
snow of! the roof, emptying receptacles of refuse, 
burning waste paper from the house, may fall to 
a lady gardener's lot. In any case, when specific 
duties are ascertained, no responsibility connected 
with them should be handed over to subordinates. 
Washing a drain down is not, perhaps, an especially 
elevating task, and it may be urged that any 
fool can do it. It will only be done, however, and 
well done, if the men know that a look-out is 
being kept for their neglect or carelessness. If 
they are sometimes unexpectedly watched it will 
be found that the work is well done, and instead 
of their thinking less of their " head," they will 
respect her all the more. 

If a holiday is asked for them sometimes, or 
a kind act is performed for their wives or children, 



40 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



they will work with a good will which should be 
encouraging to their chief. 

It is not very probable that anyone, after only 
two or three years' training, will soar at once to 
the height of being head gardener on an estate, 
or of having the direction of many labouring men. 
I have noted most of the points of importance 
for a start in the garden profession ; they must be 
added to from experience as the ladder is mounted 
towards success. 

I have not, so far, touched upon the main 
point for consideration, whether the garden be 
large or small. This is the vegetable garden. It 
will be necessary, without loss of time, to inter- 
view the cook, and ask what vegetables are most 
required. 

" Difierent people, different opinions ; some 
like apples, some Hke onions." Do not grow 
what is not wanted. It is well to try and make 
friends with the cook, for if not, any failure in 
the vegetable course at dinner will be laid to the 
gardener's door. They will be too young or too 
old, too tender or too tough, or it will be said 
that the cook has expressed an opinion that 
" no one couldn't cook them vegetables which that 
there lady gardener sends in." Therefore, spare no 
pains to be friends with the head of the kitchen, 
for success or failure may depend much upon her 



GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 41 



opinion. A few compliments upon lier skill in 
cooking will be a good preliminary to any expla- 
nations tliat may have to be made in introducing a 
new vegetable to her notice. I have heard of a 
sad instance of the Mont d'Or butter beans that 
were given to the pigs " because they were yellow." 
In this case, had the cook been interviewed before- 
hand, those lovely golden beans would not have 
been cast " like pearls before swine." The require- 
ments of houses as regards flowers and vegetables 
vary very much, and it will only be by asking advice 
of the lady and the cook that a gardener can 
guess at all what she is expected to send into the 
house. The first year will naturally be somewhat 
of an experiment in this respect, and it will be 
well to point out these difficulties to the employer, 
for fear he considers that there is either undue 
extravagance or too economical a saving of pro- 
duce. 

Having interviewed the cook, the next thing is 
to arrange the crops. 

For an ordinary kitchen garden of one acre, 
the following should generally be ordered. 

Peas . . 6 qts. Spinach . . 1 qt. 

Broad Beans . 2-3 qts. Winter spinach 8 ozg. 

French Beans . J qt. Mustard and 

Runner Beans . J lb. Cress . . 1 qt. each. 



42 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



Beet . . 2 ozs. 
Carrots . . 2 ozs. 
leek . . 1 oz. 
Lettuce, Summer 1 oz. 
Lettuce, Winter J oz. 
Onions, Sprmg . 4 ozs. 
Onions, Autumn 1 oz. 
Parsley . . 2 ozs. 
Parsnips . . 1 oz. 
Salsify . . 1 oz. 
Turnips . . 4 ozs. 



Endive . . 1 oz. 

Radish , . 1 pint. 

Kale . . 1 oz. 

Brussels Sprouts 1 oz. 
Cauliflower (of 



Cabbage . : 1 oz. 

Red Cabbage . J oz. 

Savoys . . J oz. 

Celery . . 1 pkt. 



Broccoli (of sorts) 1 J ozs. 



sorts) . . 1 oz. 



Cheap plants can be bouglit of these latter, 
and also marrows and cucumbers. If the garden 
is a small one, it will be more economical to do 
this than to raise them from seed. The above 
are ordinary vegetables ; for special ones, such as 
cardoons, chicory, etc., a small packet of seed will 
be sufficient. 

There are three vegetables not usually grown, 
but which are most useful. They are : — 

Phoenix Kale. — Will stand the most severe 
winter, and the more it is cut in the late winter or 
spring, the more it will shoot. 

Seakale Beet (not Spinach Beet). — Can be cut 
all the autumn. It will stand an ordinary winter, 
and will furnish another cut in spring when vege- 
tables are scarce. It has a broader midrib 'than 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 43 



spinach, beet, is perfectly white, and is cooked like 
seakale. The green blade can be used as spinach. 

Couve Tfonchuda. — Is used mucb in the same 
way as seakale beet. Cut the lower leaves first, 
and use the thick fleshy leaf-stalks ; when the 
lower leaves are done, there still remains very 
good cabbage on the top. Sutton calls it " rather 
tender," but it is not always necessary to protect 
it in winter. 

It will be found useful to obtain a large chart 
of the vegetables usually grown, and the time of 
sowing, planting, and cutting. This can be ob- 
tained from the Stores (Book department). 

If a rough, plan of the garden can be obtained, 
it will be of help ; if not, a copy book should be 
bought, and on one page a rough, sketch made 
of each plot, with the length and breadth 
marked upon it. This need not necessarily be 
drawn to scale. Upon the opposite page should 
be put the crop which is on the ground. Probably 
someone can supply information as to what crop 
was previously there, and when the ground was 
last trenched and manured. Any notes that can 
be made in this respect will be useful. It is a 
good plan to divide the garden under cultivation 
roughly into four quarters, disregarding, for the 
moment, that part which is under permanent crops, 
such as asparagus, rhubarb, etc. By trenching 



44 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



and manuring one plot every year, it can be 
arranged for each quarter to have a good dressing 
at least once every four years. 

Bastard trenching is generally better than 
trenching ; and the more constantly the ground is 
stirred the better. 

As farmyard manure is often scarce, and 
labour for thorough trenching is expensive or 
difficult to obtain, it will be found that doing a 
quarter of the ground each year is a sure way of 
getting it all under cultivation. This, and dig- 
ging in the refuse, will supply the necessary humus. 
Between times dig as deep as possible and use 
artificial manure. 

The reason for ascertaining the crops that 
have been grown before is to enable some sort of 
rotation to be practised. It is impossible, in 
gardening, to do this as perfectly as in agriculture, 
but there are a few things which it is well to bear 
in mind. The three fundamental rules are as 
follows : — 

(1) Plants of the same natural order should 
not follow each other. 

(2) Crops which have occupied the same 
ground for several years should be succeeded by 
others of short duration. This gives an oppor- 
tunity for constantly stirring and cleaning the 
ground. 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 45 



(3) Plants grown for their roots, or bulbs, 
should not be followed by others grown for the 
same purpose. Plants grown for their seeds should 
also not succeed each other. 

In a small garden, it is best to grow only early 
potatoes. Others can be bought as cheaply as 
they can be grown, and the space they would 
occupy is valuable. A piece of ground may be 
under early potatoes ; these should be cleared by 
the middle of June, when a sowing of peas can be 
made, selecting one of the early varieties for a late 
crop. When they come off, they can be followed 
by turnips, which are drawn ofi during the winter. 
In January the ground can be bastard trenched, but 
not manured. Let it lie fallow awhile ; then put 
in carrots, parsnips, or beet. The order can be 
varied indefinitely, so long as the rules are followed, 
and the plot of ground kept well trenched, and 
manured every fourth year. 

The next things to consider are the crops still 
on the ground, and those coming on. In a fairly 
well-managed garden late peas, runner beans, 
cauliflowers, and marrows all " in cut," should 
still be found in the autumn. The runner beans 
and the marrows should bear until they are cut 
down by frost. Their bearing capacity can be 
prolonged by careful picking, by a mulch of well- 
rotted manure, or with a drenching of liquid 



46 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



manure, according to whether the season is wet 
or dry. 

If there is likely to be a shortage of winter 
stuff, fully ripe marrows can be hung up in an 
airy place, and runner beans put down with salt. 
A breadth of celery should be found coming into 
use, and parsnips that will stand until they are 
required. The main crop of carrots and beet will 
still be there to store, and there should be a break 
of sprouts, kale, and other things to come in later. 
If the supply is likely to run short, it will not be 
too late to plant cabbage and colewort. 

First then, clear off all crops that are over, 
such as peas, early cauliflower, and potatoes. 
Burn all this refuse, as well as the weeds, and 
return it to the ground. Keep on hoeing. If 
there is no winter spinach in, make a sowing 
at once, and also make a sowing of turnips. 

October is the great storing month. Take up 
all beet, carrots, and parsnips ; but artichokes and 
salsify are best left where they are. 

Corn salad can be sown, to come up in early 
spring. Cauliflowers should be pricked out into 
a cold frame where they can be protected from 
frost. 

All leaves should be swept up and stored in a 
heap, to make leaf mould. In the process they 
will generate steady heat, and if a frame can be 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 47 



spared it should be put over them. Tender plants 
can be stored in it, or winter salad grown in it. 

By now the work will have got into swing, 
and the routine of it has consequently been 
acquired. Any mistakes or omissions that have 
occurred will have been rectified. 

As the crops come off, settle what it is intended 
to put in next, and prepare the ground accordingly. 
Some things require little or no manure ; others 
need much. All ground is better for being stirred, 
therefore keep on digging. War must be waged 
against all weeds ; between the rows of greens, 
decayed leaves should be removed. All crops 
that are likely to be injured by frost must be 
protected. 

Now is a good moment to see about obtaining 
a supply of pea and bean sticks, flower stakes and 
canes. Two important matters can be done in 
bad weather, when the land cannot be worked. 
Stakes may be sorted out in sizes, pointed and 
tied into bundles, and put away in a shed. Any 
painting of stakes, tubs, or labels can also be 
done, and it will be found a good plan to go over 
the stock of tools. 

There is much more work that I could suggest, 
but if the hints already given are carried out, a 
good start will have been made. By taking in 
a practical garden paper, such as " The Gardener " 



48 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



(Id. per week), "The Journal of Horticulture" 
(2d. per week), or the " Gardener's Chronicle " 
(3d. per week), a reminder of the regular rotation 
of work will be secured. By reading these it will 
be seen exactly when to harvest fruit, prune 
shrubs and roses, clean over borders, layer carna- 
tions, etc. All details connected with these 
different operations will have been learned at 
college, so I need not add another to the many 
gardening books that will already have been read. 

I want to draw attention to one quality that 
a lady head-gardener may find herself in need 
of. It is humility. I do not know a profession 
in which this is more necessary than in gardening. 
Because all difficulties of the soil in a chalky 
southern county have been learned, the require- 
ments of that poor land mastered, and preparations 
made to guard against the violent attacks of the 
south-west wind, do not suppose that these same 
torments exist necessarily in other counties. 
Enemies and insect pests will be found, but they 
may not always be the same kind. The good 
advice and hints, therefore, that may be obtained 
from smock-frocked residents in the neighbourhood 
should not be despised. They have, perhaps, 
never been further than the nearest town close by ; 
reading and writing are difficulties which they 
cannot overcome, but they have fully taken in 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 49 



how to grow vegetables and flowers on their own 
bit of land. Watch the time of year they under- 
take different simple operations, and learn to do 
likewise. Disappointment may be saved if they 
are humbly watched. Bitter experience has taught 
these men, and, by taking their advice, one may 
learn quickly what a lifetime has shown them. 

TOOLS 

The lady-gardener can turn her attention to 
the question of tools when she has carefully 
looked round her new garden and when she knows 
how many men are to be employed. A list should 
then be made of those that are wanted, and they 
should all be ordered together, as by that means 
they will be cheaper. Those of an inferior quality 
should not be obtained just for the sake of saving 
a few shillings. They are dear at any price, so 
the best should be had and treated well. I have 
known instances of spades that " came to pieces 
in my 'and," as the housemaid says. If they 
broke off at the first trial of a lady gardener, they 
certainly would do so when used by a man. There- 
fore all spades and forks should be obtained from 
a trustworthy manufacturer. 

In some cases, a tool for each person employed 
will be required. In other instances, one or two 



50 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



of each kind will be enougli, according to the size 
of the garden. Of these " sets " had better be 
ordered. 

Spades. — A spade must be chosen to fit the 
user, and Nos. 2 and 3 are the most generally 
serviceable. One with a solid socket is strongest, 
and if the bend of the handle is right, it will not 
be appreciably heavier than others. 

Forks. — A digging fork or grape with four 
prongs may be either flat or round. For general 
use, the round pronged ones are best, as they can 
be used for stirring the ground, digging potatoes, 
or forking manure. When digging, a flat pronged 
fork is strongest. 

Bakes. — These can be obtained with iron or 
steel teeth, three to a set, in sizes of 16 in., 12in., 
and 8 in. The end teeth and head should be in 
one piece, the other teeth rivetted, and very 
slightly curved. The socket should be long, and 
have at least three holes for rivets. 

Draw hoes should be two to a set, 9 in. and 4 in. ; 
the blades of steel welded to an iron neck which is 
slightly curved or swan-necked, as it is easier then 
to keep free of weeds. 

Butch hoes should be two to a set, 9 in. and 6in. 

Trowels. — A trowel should be chosen not too 
concave in the blade. A small mason's trowel is 
useful. 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 51 



A strong pruning knife will be required for 
each person. Besides these tools, there will be 
required, according to the size of the garden, one or 
two shovels, several manure forks, some wooden 
rakes, and two or three dibbers. 

A garden roller. 

A pick with one end sharpened to a point, and 
the other wedge shaped. 

A crowbar, pitch bar, or punch. 

A couple of hammers and a wooden mallet. 

An edging iron. 

A pair of shears for cutting grass verges. 

A pair of straight hedge shears. 

A pair of lopping shears. 

One or two pairs of secateurs. 

A large axe and a couple of hatchets. The 
American are best, or if these cannot be had, 
those with American handles should be obtained. 

Several scythes. 

A couple of saws, one an ordinary carpenter's 
saw, the other a pruning saw. A cross-cut, to be 
used by two men, is very useful. 

One or two garden lines and reels. 

A measuring rod, 10 ft. long, and marked in 
feet and quarters. 

A diamond for cutting panes of glass. 

Several wheelbarrows. 

A hand barrow. 



52 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



Several baskets or trugs. 
Watering cans. 

Mowing machine. This will depend upon the 
amount of grass ; but in a garden of any consider- 
able size two will be required, one large one for 
the lawns, and a small one, 10 in. or 12 in. wide, 
for borders and edges. For the first, the American 
make is light, cheap, and simple in construction, 
but as they have no back roller, they will not work 
on narrow borders. The " Pennsylvania," to be 
worked by a man and a boy, and a small " Green," 
will probably be the most suitable. 

It must be seen that the tools are kept in first 
rate order. A grindstone, one worked with a 
treadle, will be necessary. If good tools are 
bought and kept clean, well oiled, and sharp, 
they will last a long time ; and those that have 
been used are the easiest to work with. They 
are broken in, as it were. 

It will be advisable, upon the first opportunity, 
to clear out every hole and corner, and get rid of the 
rubbish. Old tools, however, should never be 
thrown away, as wooden handles will turn into 
dibbers and measuring pegs. Short handles will 
do for trowels, etc. Old spades can be cut down, 
re-sharpened, and used for digging amongst shrubs 
and in herbaceous borders. When they are past 
work, they can be put into the ground, blade up- 



GAKDENING FOE WOMEN 53 



wards, as foot scrapers. Old forks can have their 
prongs shortened and turned down at right angles, 
or nearly so, to the helve. They are then useful 
as drag hoes for loosening soil among young 
crops. 

It is a good plan, in a garden where extra 
labour is employed, and when neat and tidy 
habits cannot always be expected from the labour- 
ing men, to have receptacles for different kinds of 
refuse. There should be one for crocks, another 
for glass, a third for paper, and one for bits of wood. 
It should be seen each night that tools are carefully 
put away clean. 

No pains should be spared to master thoroughly 
the mechanism of mowing machines. The lady- 
gardener must also know how to stoke a green- 
house furnace, and repair broken glass in frames. 
If these matters have been learned in student 
days there will be no difficulty for her in directing 
men. Should she be unable herself to put a piece 
of glass into a frame, she must not be angry with 
her workman if he fixes it insecurely. As thorough 
master of her trade, she will make herself 
respected. 

Care, too, should be taken from the fijst to 
look ahead, as regards what has to be purchased, 
such as pots, soil, manure, peat, nails, raffia. It 
is provoking in finishing a job to be delayed 



54 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



because, at the right moment, some necessary 
article was not ordered. 

" Thinking ahead " in this way is a habit, and 
can be acquired. 

It is well never to be without a pocket-book 
and pencil, to jot down at once any things that 
may be required or jobs which need attention. 



CHAPTER Vn 



DRESS FOR LADY GARDENERS 

The question of clothes is always an important 
one to tlie feminine mind. It is impossible to lay 
down any fixed rules as regards the costume best 
adapted to a lady gardener. Chief considerations 
are neatness and suitability to the climate. 

It is best to have few clothes, and to have them 
good. It should be remembered that lady gar- 
deners usually must brush their skirts, and possibly 
have to clean their own boots. A small cottage 
does not afiord much space, so nothing should 
be bought which is not absolutely necessary. 

Underclothing, — Wool should be worn next to 
the skin, both in winter and summer, and the 
weight of clothes varied according to the weather. 
A plain fitting flannel belt to cover the waist and 
abdomen is advisable. This is worn next the 
skin, whether the usual underwear be merino or 
not. Knickerbockers, and not petticoats, should be 
worn. For winter wear, ready-made blue or black 
stockinette ones are best. Cheap ready-made 

55 



56 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



cotton ones are useful for summer ; or they can be 
obtained in khaki drill, should that material be 
preferred. 

Blouse or Shirt — This should be of the simplest, 
untrimmed make. For student days, when there 
are digging and other exertions to be performed, a 
turn-down flannel collar, with a tie, will give 
most freedom of movement. For a head gardener, 
a stand-up linen collar will give a neat appearance. 
In winter a flannel or Scotch wincey blouse is 
warm. For summer, a tussore silk one is cool. 
Wincey and silk cost more than flannel and cotton, 
but they wear longer, and do not shrink in the 
wash, so the expense in the end is the same. 

A strong leather belt round the waist will 
keep both skirt and blouse neat. If one or two 
swivels and spring hooks are fixed to it, a knife, 
keys, etc., can be attached, and thus will always 
be at hand. 

Shirt and Coat. — Several of these are needed, 
all thoroughly business-like and tailor made. The 
skirts should clear the ankles well, and be very 
even all round. Nothing looks worse than one 
that hangs lower at the back than in front. Care 
should, therefore, be taken to get the tailor to see 
to this. In rough weather, one should be worn 
with a 3 in. or 4 in. lining of thin waterproof inside. 
This enables one to wash ofi the mud with a sponge, 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 57 



and it will help preserve the dress. Thin water- 
proof is preferable to leather for this purpose, as 
it is lighter, and does not hang like a log round 
the wearer when she has been out in the rain for 
some time. 

The colour of the coat and skirt should depend 
upon what will least show the soil when it rubs 
ofi as tools are handled or heavy mud is walked 
through. For winter, homespun, Scotch, West of 
England, or Irish tweed should be worn ; a heather 
mixture or light brown are best, as these show 
dust less than darker colours. In summer, navy 
blue looks smart and workmanlike, but will get 
dirty easily, so it should only be kept for when 
clean jobs are undertaken. 

Blue fishwife's flannel is inexpensive, and 
washes well. A loose coat or Norfolk jacket of 
the same material as the skirt is useful to slip 
over a blouse when the weather is cold, or after 
work is finished. 

It should be seen that the tailor gives two 
comfortable deep pockets, and makes a wide collar 
with a flap, by which it can be fastened at the 
neck in rainy weather. Unless the necessity of 
these details is pointed out, he will probably 
skimp cloth and work. The tailor should be con- 
sulted as to the material best suited, an explanation 
having been given to him of the hard wear to 



58 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



whicli it will be put. Several colleges and schools 
for lady gardeners have designed special costumes 
for their students, but although some are becoming 
to slim, graceful figures, they are by no means 
suited to all, and are somewhat too conspicuous 
to be really desirable. 

Waterproof or aqua scutum, — This will be 
needed for stormy weather and night work ; and 
the latter is preferable, as it is pleasanter to work 
in than a mackintosh. 

Hat. — In summer, a shady, thick straw hat 
looks best. It should not be " floppy," as this is 
troublesome in windy weather, and it must be 
plain, not trimmed with chiffon or flowers. A bit 
of ribbon round it is all that is wanted. Al- 
though a sun-bonnet is picturesque, it is hot and 
close, for it keeps ofi the air as well as the sun. 
The old-fashioned plan of putting a couple of 
cabbage leaves in the crown of the hat is not 
to be despised, should the heat be felt very much. 
For winter, a soft felt hat or cap will be 
required. 

Boots. — This is the most important item of all, 
and one, curiously enough, usually neglected by 
lady gardeners. I often notice that students, when 
they begin work, wear ready-made and badly- 
made articles of the thickness only of paper. Boots 
are better than shoes, but they must be good. 



GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 59 



Cheap boots are dear at any price. If possible to 
afford it, they should be made to order, for a good 
many hom-s of the day will be spent in them. It 
is well to have a few nails in the soles ; those 
made of aluminium are best. From 1 to Ij ozs. 
will be sufficient for a pair of boots, and the dif- 
ference in weight between them and the ordinary 
tackets is worth the extra cost. 

Boots should never be blacked, but always 
greased. This makes them warm in winter and 
wonderfully cool in summer ; they are then really 
waterproof. If they are dressed once or twice a 
week with Gishurstine, they will wear well, and 
keep soft and pliable. A Is. tin will last a long 
time. Castor oil, too (the cheap veterinary kind), 
is also excellent. Two pairs of boots are necessary 
so that they can be worn on alternate days, 
and thus be properly dried. There is a foolish, 
old-fashioned rule in some gardens that the 
men must have their boots neatly blacked 
on Monday mornings. This should not be en- 
couraged. 

The best way to dry boots, when absolutely 
soaked through, is as follows : — Take 2 or 3 lb. of 
oats, and heat them in the oven ; when the boots 
are taken off, stand them in a pail, and pour the 
hot oats up to the top of the polish. The oats 
absorb moisture, and as the boot dries they will 



60 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



swell, and act as a last. The same oats may be 
used over and over again. To clean brown boots 
Bucknell's saddle soap is better tlian any of the 
patent preparations. 

Stockings, — For winter wear, stockings should 
be knitted of soft, thick wool. Woven ones are the 
best in summer. 

If, when the midday hour of rest arrives, boots 
and stockings are wet through, they should be 
changed at once. It is false economy to neglect 
to do this, for a rheumatic future may be the 
outcome. It will be found, however, that, if they 
are not wet, there will be less suffering from tired 
feet when the same stockings and boots are kept 
on all day. If they are removed, and a rest is 
taken in easy shoes during dinner time, the feet 
will swell, cause pain, and blisters will probably 
rise when a fresh pair of boots are put on for the 
afternoon. Beginners usually have to put up with 
tender feet until they become accustomed to heavy 
boots. For this reason, thick stockings are pre- 
ferable. It will be found that camphorated Eau 
de Cologne cools the feet. Another and better 
remedy is Balm of Bethesda, which can be had 
from most chemists. The feet should be soaked in 
warm water, and while still damp a few drops of 
the balm rubbed in. This should be done every 
night until a cure is efiected. It may be necessary 



THE GARDEN AT FORTFIELD HOUSE, TERENURE, CO. DUBLIN. 

WHERE MISS HESTER PERRIN DEVOTES MUCH TIME TO THE SUCCESSFUL CULTIVATION 
OF BULBS AND PLANTS. 

Photograph by Pictorial Agency. 



GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 61 



to repeat the remedy each spring when the first 
warm days arrive. 

Leggings, — These, too, are important, and should 
be of leather, and similar to those worn by men. 
Buttons or spring fastenings are to be avoided. 
The spiral strap fastening with a buckle is the most 
practical, and brown leather is better than black, 
as it is more easily cleaned. Cloth leggings, 
gaiters or puttees should not be worn ; they are 
troublesome to clean. 

Gloves, — Thick leather gloves are useful when 
working among thorns and thistles. Many jobs, 
such as thinning out small things, pruning and 
nailing, cannot be properly done in gloves. When 
working among wet vegetables, they only make 
the hands cold, and encourage chilblains. Hands 
will wash, but it is as well to be provided with a 
bottle of nail-cleaning fluid, a box of orange sticks, 
and a little cotton wool. A hand nail brush must 
not be used, but soap and water should be vigor- 
ously applied. 

Apron or Overall, — This will keep the skirt clean, 
and if there is a large pocket in the front it will 
be useful to keep scissors, a knife, raffia, or string 
in it for tying roses to pergolas, or picking 
flowers. A blue serge apron looks best, or an over- 
all made of sacking, with a belt round the waist, 
is neat. 



62 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



OTHER REQUISITES 

Medicine Chest — There will often be exposure 
to rough weather. A bottle of Eau de Cologne 
saturated with camphor is a necessity. It should 
be rubbed on the skin after washing, and it will 
tone it up and keep the surface smooth. It is a 
good hair tonic, and relieves headache ; it also 
takes away toothache, and twenty drops on a 
lump of sugar will generally prevent a cold after 
working in damp weather. Scrubbs' cloudy am- 
monia put into a very hot bath is refreshing after 
a hard day. Quinine is indispensable to those 
who can take it. 

I need mention no other requisites for a medicine 
cupboard, as, unless one is strong and active, 
a gardener's life will not be chosen. The chief 
risk that arises is that of taking cold, especially 
when work necessitates going in and out of a 
greenhouse, and thus being subjected to unusual 
changes of temperature. To guard against this, 
a knitted woollen golfing blouse should be kept 
handy. It is so thick, that it will keep out the 
coldest, most piercing wind, and can be easily 
slipped over the flannel blouse when leaving a 
greenhouse. 

Bicycle. — Should there not be a cart for the 
gardener's use, a bicycle is indispensable. Visits 



GARDENING FOE WOMEN 63 



to other gardens are of interest if only for the sake 
of comparison. Often, too, by making friends with 
neighbouring gardeners, cuttings of new plants or 
seeds can be exchanged. A basket can be fixed 
to the handle-bars of the bicycle, in which can be 
put books and papers, whilst larger things are 
tied to the carrier behind. It will be found useful 
to understand the management of a repair outfit 
for punctures. The more independent of outside 
help a lady gardener is, the better she will get on, 
and the happier she will be. 



CHAPTER VIII 



COTTAGE AND FOOD 

The question of finding a suitable cottage for a 
lady gardener is sometimes considered a difficulty 
by employers. But this need not be so. As a 
rule, the cottage stands alone in the kitchen garden, 
or near by, and what is large enough for a married 
man with many children will suit a lady admirably. 

A lady gardener will want either a companion 
or a servant, as it is too tiring for her to cook and 
manage for herself after a hard day's work. There 
are several ways of arranging this comfortably. 
Should the salary be a large one, it will be best to 
have a servant to cook and undertake all house- 
hold duties. If the cost of a resident servant is 
too great, it will probably be possible to make some 
arrangement with a woman in the village. She 
wiU come for so many hours a day for cleaning 
and rough work, and the cooking can be dealt 
with by the gardener herself. As, however, it is 
extremely important that she should keep in good 
health, I urge that she should endeavour, by some 

64 



N THE GARDEN AT FORTFIELD HOUSE, TERENURE, CO. DUBLIN 

BELONGING TO L. PERRIN HATCHELL, ESQ., AND IN WHICH MISS HESTER PERRIN 
DEVOTES MUCH TIME AND LABOUR. 

Plwtogro.pli by Pictorial Agency. 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 65 



arrangement or other, to get the cooking and 
house work done for her. There is sure to be an 
extra bedroom in the cottage, and should it be 
impossible to keep a servant, it can probably be 
arranged to have either a friend or a garden 
student as companion, who is willing to take over 
these small responsibilities. Often there are ladies 
training for Colonial work, who would gladly come 
and manage, in exchange for board and lodging. 
Vegetables are allowed to a gardener, and, there- 
fore, she can easily afford to pay for the board 
of someone who helps her. Sometimes milk is 
provided for the use of a head gardener, and 
also coals. Before a post is accepted it should be 
ascertained exactly to what she is entitled, and 
then a calculation should be made as to how 
expenses can best be met. It must be remem- 
bered, however, that good, well-cooked food often 
saves a doctor's bill ; so no pains should be spared 
to live well. The greater variety that can be 
managed in the case of food, the better the health 
will be. Women living alone are very apt, from 
laziness, to fall into a habit of drinking tea and 
eating only bread and butter. Work certainly 
cannot be done on this ; solid food is absolutely 
necessary. 

With a view to assisting lady gardeners to under- 
take their own cooking in cases of emergency, I am 

F 



66 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



able, through the kindness of Miss J. S. Turner, 
to give a few hints which may, I hope, be of use. 

For roasting, an American roaster, which can 
be placed in the oven and requires no attention 
for basting, is necessary. If there is a close range, 
the earthenware French casseroles and marmites 
are nicer than saucepans. There are many Ameri- 
can " notions " too, that save labour. 

Asbestos mats for placing under saucepans on 
a closed stove only cost 4d. each, and prevent 
the contents burning. 

Aluminium utensils are much better than those 
of iron or tin. They cost more, but are indestruc- 
tible, and easily kept clean. 

To commence with, the following utensils should 
be provided : — 

1 large saucepan. It should be the largest 
that can be fitted on the stove, and a steamer to 
fit it is also required. 

1 spirit lamp for quickly boiling hot water or 
eggs. 

1 small saucepan 

1 double saucepan or porringer. 

1 kettle. 

1 gourmet boiler. 

1 American roaster. 

3 frying pans for meat, fish, and eggs. 

1 oven tin. 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 67 



1 pudding bowl. 

2 pie dishes. 
2 basins. 

2 jugs. 
1 teapot. 
1 coffee pot. 

1 bowl for mixing paste. 

Pastry board and rolling-pin. 

Cups, glasses, knives, forks, spoons, egg-cups 
and table-cloths will be needed. 

With the above-mentioned articles most things 
can be done, and other utensils can be added as 
required 

Breakfast, — Breakfast should consist of por- 
ridge and milk, a boiled or poached egg, and a 
rasher of bacon if necessary. 

The porridge should be made overnight. Half 
a breakfast cup of Provost or Quaker Oats, with 
a good pinch of salt, should be put into a saucepan. 
A cup and a half of boiling water must be poured 
over it and well stirred. Put on the lid, and 
allow the whole to boil for ten to twenty minutes. 
Leave it by the side of the stove all night, and it 
will only want heating up in the morning, which 
can be done on a paraffin stove. Do not forget to 
put water in the lower half of the saucepan. 

It will only take a few minutes to boil an egg 
or fry some bacon. 



68 GARDENINa FOR WOMEN 



When going out early in summer, it may be 
convenient to make a hot cup of tea, and for this the 
spirit lamp will be useful. 

Midday meal. — If lunch has to be prepared by 
oneself, bread and cheese, cold meat, soup, a hard- 
boiled egg with salad, will be the most easily 
managed. Tinned food should not be relied upon ; 
it is dear and unwholesome. If a hot luncheon 
can be obtained it will be better. I only give the 
above suggestions to those who have to manage for 
themselves. 

Supper, — As work ceases at 6 p.m., there will 
be plenty of time to prepare a meal for 7.30 p.m. 
A gourmet boiler is most useful. Put in meat, 
potatoes, onions, etc., and a teacup ful of water. 
Place the boiler in a large saucepan, and fill up 
with water to the rim of the boiler. If this be put 
on the fire at luncheon time, a good stew will be 
ready in two hours, and a still better one in eight 
hours' time. One visit to replenish the water in 
the saucepan will be necessary 

Beefsteak pudding, too, can be left on for 
hours, with the assurance that it will be all the 
nicer for long cooking. 

Many dishes can be prepared beforehand, 
and heated up when required. It only needs a little 
thinking out. 

Coffee, — Buy the whole berries roasted. Grind 



GAKDENING FOR WOMEN 69 



them as they are wanted. Small mills can be 
procured cheaply. Put the coffee in an earthen- 
ware coffee jug, and place it upon the stove for 
ten minutes or until it gets thoroughly heated. 
Pour on boiling water, and let it stand for five 
minutes. Stir it up, and then let it settle. 

Tea. — Should the locality be one where the 
water is hard," " Hardwater tea " should be 
obtained. This is economical. Other blends are 
expensive, because the water does not extract 
the full flavour, and more tea has to be used. 

Milh. — If milk is bought, get new milk, and 
do not skim it. Put it into a jug as soon as it is 
received. Let it stand twelve to twenty-four 
hours according to the season, and stir it well 
before it is used 

Butter, — An icicle butter box, to hold from 
1 lb. upwards, can be obtained, and if butter is kept 
in this box it will be firm even on the warmest day. 

Pot au feu. — When tired after a day's work, 
and not up to cooking, this and Pepperpot or 
Lancashire Hot Pot (the recipes in Mrs. Beeton's 
cookery book) will be found a great stand-by. The 
pot merely has to be put on the stove, and in a few 
minutes a respectable meal is ready. 

Life in the open air gives a good appetite, and, 
as a rule, no difficulty will be found in responding 
to it, if these slight instructions are followed.* 



CHAPTER IX 



MARKET GARDENING 

This is a branch of horticulture which requires 
great consideration and careful reflection, before 
a lady undertakes it. It needs both brains and 
capital. Market gardening resembles that larger 
sphere of jobbing combined with nursery gardening 
which is described towards the end of Chapter 
IV. Possibly less artistic sense is necessary, 
but far larger business capacity is essential. To 
succeed at all everything grown must be of the- 
best quality, and suit the prevailing demand. 
There are fashions in flowers and vegetables, and 
these have to be studied and responded to. Then, 
too, in order to sell to London or other big markets, 
advance must be kept of others. It well repays 
to have green peas a fortnight before your neigh- 
bour, and more money is made if the supply of 
choice vegetables can be prolonged throughout 
the winter months. Then, again, white flowers 
sell better than others. These and many other 
tricks of the trade are not learned in an amateur 

70 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 71 



way. They have to be studied under a competent 
master. Flowers have to be picked before the sun 
has opened them ; they have to be packed with 
skill, and only certain kinds will travel well. 
Experience is necessary in order to know the right 
kind of foliage to send away with flowers. 

So much, indeed, has to be learnt which cannot 
well be acquired at a college, that I strongly advise 
apprenticeship for a year or two to a nursery 
gardener. If it is preferred to study first at a 
school where surplus flowers and vegetables are 
sold, a good foundation of knowledge can be laid, 
which is considerably added to later in a market 
garden. I would suggest at least fotir years' train- 
ing for this particular branch of Horticulture. 

An apprentice might w^ell suppose that many 
secrets of the trade would be revealed to her. But 
this may prove to be a mistake. Business people 
are cautious as to what information they impart, 
and possibly more is to be acquired by keeping 
eyes and ears well open. Constant and careful 
inquiries should be made as to the price obtained 
for various vegetable produce, and the most likely 
quarters where there is a demand for it in that 
particular part of the country. 

I am inclined to think, however,* that the 
most useful business information is to be gained 
during the first year or two's work in one's own 



72 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



garden. It is gloomy to foretell such things, but 
mistakes are sure to happen, and from experience 
comes knowledge. To lose one's own money 
hurts more than to see others lose. 

Should the intending market gardener be a 
free agent, and able to select any part of England 
for her garden, there are two important matters 
for her to weigh. Where will be the best market, 
and what land has the most plentiful supply of 
water ? Probably for the first venture the neigh- 
bourhood of a large seaside town, a watering- 
place or golf links, will be a safer market than 
London, which is so large and well supplied. It 
should be ascertained who the most likely cus- 
tomers will be — schools, boarding-houses, private 
families, etc., and the garden should be adapted 
to supply their wants. 

Many are the ways of arrangmg work in a 
market garden. A lady of ample means can afford 
to keep an experienced foreman, a large staff, and 
horses and vans. By paying the head man so much 
per cent, upon the sale of produce, his interest in 
the concern will be kept alive. In this case a thor- 
oughly dependable and honest man is necessary. 
Should more scope for energy be needed it will 
be advisable for the principal to do the secretarial 
work, decide the rotation of crops, conduct the 
sale transactions, as well as attend to the social 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 73 



part of the business. She should also supervise 
most of the operations and have good skilled 
labour to carry out all manual work. 

If it can be avoided a field should not be con- 
verted into a market garden. The money that 
necessarily has to be spent at the start will more 
quickly be repaid if land is worked which has been 
used as a garden before. However good the soil, 
climate, and situation may be, a garden can only 
barely pay its way during the first two years on 
account of the many expenses that have to be 
met. 

As opinions can best be formed by hearing real 
experiences, I propose inserting the following letter, 
written by one who has known what it is to over- 
come obstacles, and finally reach well-earned 
success. This interesting letter and several de- 
tailed accounts of market gardens given on p. 253 
show what a suitable career this is for a woman. 
One, too, which will bring not only health and 
happiness from work in the open, but considerable 
remuneration, if it be carefully and well conducted. 

B ASHLEY Nursery, 

New-Milton, Hampshire, 

October llth, 1907. 

Dear Madam, — 

In answer to your request for information about my 
market garden here, I think it will be best if I give you 



74 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



a short history of the undertaking. I bought six acres 
of land here fifteen year{=5 ago, with a view to start a garden 
on a more or less remunerative footing. I had been 
brought up in a town, but had always been fond of botany 
— of plants as individuals — and as years went on, felt 
drawn to a country life. I got bo know something of cul- 
tivated plants by studying in the Botanic Gardens at 
Cambridge, where I lived. I hired a quarter-acre allot- 
ment in a field let out in that way. I got very much 
interested in it, and decided to go in for a country life 
with a garden, which I hoped to make pay its way, if not 
more. I studied gardening for two years with a family 
who had taken up market gardening in Wales, and pro- 
ceeded to buy a small plot of land to begin upon. I had 
enough capital to start a place and build a small house 
for myself, and, fortunately enough, means to live upon 
in a somewhat bare way. I did not feel the least sanguine 
of making ends more than meet, and this was lortunate, 
as for many years it was a most unpromising and expensive 
undertaking. I was entirely without business knowledge 
in general, or of any of the detailed knowledge of the 
horticultural trade, and also, being town-bred, I was led 
into many errors. The soil proved poor and sour from 
lack of draining, and thickly infested with wire -worms, 
and being far from any town (Bournemouth, nine miles, 
being the nearest) there was absolutely no local demand 
for anything. I should say one of the main points in 
starting any place of the kind is to be near some town. 
I had not originally intended to go in for market gardening, 
but circumstances seemed to favour it moie than any other 



GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



75 



branch of gardening, so after many misgivings and qualms 
at further sinking of capital, I put up a block of five green- 
houses, each 100 feet by 12 feet. This necessitated having 
a skilled man to live on the place, and consequently the 
building of a cottage, as there was none near. I intended 
to grow tomatoes for Bournemouth market, followed by 
chrysanthemums and other winter crops. The first season 
of tomato growing proved enough of a success to encourage 
me to persevere, and I bought a horse and van to begin a 
trade with Bournemouth shops, and engaged a man as 
salesman. On the whole this proved a success from the 
first. Our chief crops to start with were tomatoes in the 
houses, followed by chrysanthemums for cut flowers in 
the winter, and out of doors a variety of plants for cut 
flowers, especially early flowering chrysanthemums, also 
strawberries, rhubarb, and vegetable marrows. After a 
short time we took up narcissus, forcing for a spring crop, 
followed by bedding plants in pots and boxes, and a variety 
of pot-plants, such as genistas, ferns, cyclamen, freesia, 
and pelargoniums 

After a few years I bought nine acres more, adjoining 
the first field, and two years ago I bought another small 
field of four acres. A few years ago I was able greatly to 
improve our water supply, and to put up an engine for 
pumping all water ubed in the houses, and to build a 
second cottage for workmen. My original staff consisted 
of one labourer ; it is now about nine men and boys. Last 
year I was able to add a large tomato house 100 feet by 
30 feet, and a small fernery. 

Whilst Hving here the neighbourhood has become a 



76 GAKDENING FOR WOMEN 



residential one, and consequently a good deal of trade 
has come from the immediate locality. 

A good many people are glad to have their gardens 
superintended, or to have suggestions about the laying 
out of their borders. 

I cannot say I have ever found it a very remunerative 
undertaking; it has certainly been a laborious one, but 
to me it has been immensely enjoyable. 

Other crops we grow out of doors are gooseberries, 
raspberries and currants, and large quantities of roots, 
such as pansies, polyanthus, wall-flower, forget-me-not, 
for spring bedding. Among the out-of-door flowers for 
cutting the chief are : narcissi, chrysanthemums, roses, 
carnations, violets, gypsophila, sweet-peas, marguerites, 
dahlias, astors, coreopsis, mignonette, gladioli, Spanish iris, 
paeonies, scabious, alstromoeria, daisies, and many others. 
We also have a number of herbaceous plants and a good 
many shrubs to supply retail customers. 

I am, yours faithfully, 

A. Bateson. 



CHAPTER X 



THE MEDICAL ASPECT OF GARDENING FOR 
WOMEN 

Anxious parents often ask whether gardening is a 
really healthy occupation for their daughters. 
These doubts, shared by many, are perhaps not so 
easily dispelled as, at the outset, might be supposed. 
We are all prone to view with suspicion any pro- 
ject which has for its purpose the fitting of women 
for the more arduous tasks of life. " For men must 
work and women must weep " is what we are 
accustomed to hear. We know that amongst all 
primitive peoples it has been found that women 
are capable physically of carrying out hard work 
in the open. We have evidence to prove that 
crofter women, those engaged at coal-pit mouths, 
women peasants in France and Germany, North 
American Indians, African races and the aborigines 
of Australia, are not less long-lived than their more 
favoured sisters in leisured countries. Amongst 
civilised races, however, the principle is upheld 
that only light tasks are relegated to women, and 

77 



78 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



surely so it should be. The charm of woman lies 
in her softness and gentleness. Must we not 
preserve this above all else ? 

Thus the father of a family views with alarm 
the profession of a gardener, when it is first sug- 
gested to him for one of his daughters. It seems 
undesirable to him that she, who has been accus- 
tomed to gentle living and refinement, should lead 
the monotonous, solitary life which h^ pictures it to 
be. He sees her, in imagination, constantly weed- 
ing and digging amongst plants, without leisure 
during the day for any of the relaxation to be 
found in mental employment or development, and 
returning home at night physically exhausted. 
Her mother thinks that rough exposure to all 
weathers will play havoc with a good complexion ; 
visions of a brown sunburnt face, or a wrinkled 
parchment one, knotted fingers, stifi joints, un- 
even shoulders, rise up to alarm her. Many are 
the prophetic croaks that the young girl hears 
about rheumatism and age before its time, or 
misgivings as to the results of digging and trench- 
ing and the bad efiect they may have on back and 
hip muscles. I know one young woman who was 
so frightened lest she should develop a huge hump 
on her back from stooping, like the old road- 
mender whom she met daily, that she always laid 
down quite flat on her bed, during rest hours, to 



GARDENING FOE WOMEN 79 



counteract any harm that might be likely to come 
to her. 

It is most natural that many should be alarmed 
and have a strong disinclination to advise garden- 
ing as a healthy profession. I cannot help think- 
ing that they may alter their views when they 
realise fully that it is not hard manual work that 
is needed of women in this profession. They are 
not meant to do spade-work like the ordinary 
labouring man ; we have plenty of fine, strong 
hulking men who do this, but we do need more 
directing heads to plan out work and guide others. 
This is what lady gardeners are to do. It has be- 
come evident, in recent years, that women have 
determined to shake themselves free from former 
occupations and interests. They intend to apply 
their energy in new directions. Frequently, it 
must be admitted by all, they are successful. 
Practical experience shows us that women can 
acquit themselves with honour and success in 
games and in the pursuit of sports, which formerly 
were reserved only for men. Hunting, shooting, 
golf, cricket, swimming, hockey, climbing and 
walking are acknowledged to be fields of activity 
in which women may safely indulge. In Jane 
Austen's day such pursuits were considered not 
only dangerous to health, but likely to produce 
awkwardness of figure and ungainliness of move- 



80 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



ment. Physical activity was supposed to unfit 
young girls for society. Things are changed since 
then, and although many of us see with regret some 
loss of feminine softness and charm m occasional 
specimens of the new woman, we cannot put all 
the evils to the profession of gardening. There 
must always, I suppose, be eccentric individuals 
who exaggerate their peculiarities, but these exist 
in all professions, and classes 

Much attention is now paid to the physical 
development of girls and young women in our 
schools, and we cannot fail to see the immense 
advantage gained by comparison through this over 
the results of early Victorian education. We have 
all, it is to be hoped, learnt that open air life is 
no longer a privileged form of existence suited 
only to men. We know that it is, when carried out 
on sensible lines of moderation, immensely help- 
ful to women. The medical world has lately been 
awakened to the importance of improving the 
physique of our young people. Both Sir Lauder 
Brunton and Sir John Cockburn (chairman of the 
Swanley Horticultural College for Women) have 
impressed this fact openly upon the world. We 
see daily before us leisured women who from lack 
of pleasant, wholesome interests and bodily exer- 
cise, without scope for reasonable aspirations, have 
become anaemic parodies of the sex. The insidious 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 81 



malady which dogs the steps of a nation's pro- 
gress towards highly cultured, unlimited leisure 
and freedom, masquerades under the old-fashioned 
term " ennui " or the new - f angled names of 
nervous exhaustion, break-down, overwork (!), 
hysteria, decadence. 

I believe I am justified in saying that medical 
men, who can appreciate the often aimless, hum- 
drum existence of many women of the wealthier 
classes and the debility of those in our large towns, 
find in gardening a good agent for the removal 
of such evils. Possibly a year spent in rising early, 
out in sun and rain, with simple food, pure interests, 
physical exercise, does more for some than many 
medicine bottles, rest cures, Swedish movements, 
and other modern remedies. The same may be 
said for those who are mentally troubled — insane, 
that is, in a legal sense. The managers of our 
asylums are appreciating more each year the bene- 
fits to be derived by occupations. In this instance 
such interests act not only upon the individual, 
but also upon the health of a nation. 

No one who has given the least attention to the 
advances made in the modern treatment of pul- 
monary tuberculosis can fail to recognise that open- 
air treatment has proved to be of immense value 
to sufferers from consumption, and that by its 
means cure, in the real sense of the term, may be 



82 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



established. It is a matter of national gratifica- 
tion that this sensible mode of cure should have 
been initiated in this country, by Bodington and 
MacCormac, years before it was adopted elsewhere. 
It is an instance of our national slowness to do 
what is obviously right, that our Continental 
neighbours have, till recent years, outstripped us 
in the perfection of these methods of cure. Our 
own pioneers, too, have been subjected to ridicule 
and temporary obloquy. We now know that 
though outdoor life at high altitudes is especially 
successful in the treatment of tuberculosis, high 
altitude is not a necessity. A cure can be effected 
in the lower altitudes of our own country, so long 
as the principle is maintained of a constantly 
" open window." 

Quite recently practical proof has been brought 
forward by Dr. M. S. Paterson, of the Brompton 
Hospital Sanatorium at Frimley, which shows 
that even the success of the Continental patterns 
of sanatoria can be greatly enhanced by allow- 
ing the sufierers to work in the gardens. By giving 
them this healthy employment they harden them- 
selves, and instead of being confirmed idlers, they 
leave the institution vigorous in muscle, as well as 
healed of their lung trouble. The patients, men and 
women, are encouraged to execute all the lighter 
duties of gardeners, and the more robust of the men 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 83 



are allowed to excavate and trench ground. All 
minor ailments, such as nasal catarrh, or " com- 
mon cold," bronchitis, sore throat, headaches 
and muscular rheumatism, are remediable by means 
of a life regulated in accordance with the principle 
of the " open window." It can hardly be doubted, 
therefore, that if those exercises which take the 
form of outdoor games are in part replaced by the 
more primitive and infinitely more profitable ones 
of gardening and botanical study, the same excellent 
effects will be reaUsed. 

Those who advocate gardening for women do 
not seek to deprive them of intellectual pursuits 
through a constant devotion to physical effort. 
They wish to secure to them the certain assurance 
of a healthy physical state by moderate devotion 
to a refined and pleasant occupation. Direct 
experience is fortunately available to carry con- 
viction on this point to those who consider it 
with proper calmness and reasonableness. Healthy 
women who have essayed the experiment of garden- 
ing have no sort of doubt as to the beneficial 
results to be derived from it. Again and again 
it has been found, not only by devotees them- 
selves, but by others whose training as medical 
men and women has enabled them to detect any 
undesirable results, that gardening is little short 
of an unmixed blessing. One distinguished medical 



84 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



authority who has made the agricultural education 
of women a lifelong study, says that the young 
women who have taken up gardening as a pro- 
fession are in consequence " as lithe as panthers 
and of splendid physique." 

Not only, therefore, does such a life increase 
muscular development and consequently help cir- 
culatory, respiratory, digestive and other normal 
processes, but it helps to make a healthy mind. 
If a serious bit of thinking has to be done, a piece 
of trenching or some purely mechanical exercise 
will greatly assist the brain. To quote a passage 
upon digging from Mr. Halsham's admirable book, 
" Every Man His Own Gardener," " You will find 
that the mind is not merely left free for all the 
valuable reflections which may occur to it, but 
that the attention necessary for the job takes up 
and keeps employed and quiet some subordinate 
activities of the understanding which in times of 
repose are often decidedly troublesome." 

I should like to quote a passage, too, from 
Ruskin's " Sesame and Lilies," which seems to 
me very applicable to the case in point. In showing 
us the power of woman, he says : " The first of our 
duties to her — no thoughtful persons now doubt 
this — is to secure for her such physical training 
and exercise as may confirm her health, and per- 
fect her beauty, the highest refinement of that 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 85 

beauty being unattainable without splendour of 
activity and of delicate strength. To perfect her 
beauty, I say, and increase its power, it cannot be 
too powerful, nor shed its sacred light too far ; only 
remember that all physical freedom is vain to 
produce beauty without a corresponding freedom 
of heart." Then follows the quotation which we 
all know so well, and which shows us the " vital 
feeling of delight " which true love of nature, and 
all the lovely things in nature, give us — " Thus, 
then, you have first to mould her physical frame, 
and then, as the strength she gains will permit you, 
to fill and temper her mind with all knowledge and 
thoughts which tend to confirm its natural in- 
stincts of justice, and refine its natural taste of 
love." 

I ask what can more readily lead to the ful- 
filment of this ideal than a life of quiet, peaceful 
interests in the company of the pure and lovable 
companionship of flowers ? What can bring 
healthier happiness than watching for those har- 
bingers of the new flower year, the little green 
heads of Winter Aconite that come pushing so 
determinedly through the brown earth, and are 
followed later by little golden heads of flower ? 
What can give greater intellectual and artistic 
pleasure and scope for imagination than planning 
the herbaceous border which is to be bright with 



86 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



colour all the year ? Careful study and much 
reading are needed, but happy evenings fly 
speedily by, as you gaze into the fire and plan a 
lovely summer dream garden. Then, too, there 
is the interest of arranging work for others, mar- 
shalling the men at your command and apportion- 
ing the work to their different characters and 
temperaments. It is indeed no monotonous, un- 
intellectual life. 

A report has been received from one of our 
modern university colleges where lectures are pro- 
vided upon various subjects. It teUs us that 
women students are occasionally absent owing to 
indisposition from lectures and demonstrations 
upon history and classics, but that they attend 
with regularity those upon gardening. This is a 
flattering statement as regards the interest of 
horticulture. 

Several of the reports of foreign schools which 
I am able to give, through the kindness of their 
directors, show that other nations are in advance 
of us in two points, at least, connected with this 
branch of study. 

In Germany, Holland, and Italy, great stress 
is laid upon the ultimate use of horticultural 
courses. They are intended especially to fit young 
women to be useful in their own homes, either 
while living with their parents, or later when they 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 87 



marry or have homes of their own. This applies 
to women with means who are not obliged to 
earn a living. They are considered, with a know- 
ledge of fruit culture, flower and vegetable garden- 
ing, jam making and fruit preserving, to become 
valuable adjuncts to the household. The word 
" Hausfrau " nowadays includes these garden 
matters, and we in England might profitably follow 
this example. If a young woman marries well 
and has servants w^ho do all these things for her, 
she will still never regret having herself mastered 
difficulties, and probably she will be better served 
by being able with experience to criticise the work 
of others. Then, too, we notice in the foreign 
syllabuses that a doctor's certificate of health is 
required before a young girl thinks of studying 
gardening. 

It is certainly advisable that the family doctor 
should give advice before any decision is made as 
to the vocations of young women. This should 
be all the more insisted upon, when the would-be 
student suffers from some malady, whether it 
appears to be but a trifling one or not. It is a 
practical certainty that many minor maladies and 
symptoms are entirely removed when a suitable 
life is led. On the other hand, others apparently 
equally insignificant are harbingers of grave ill- 
ness. It is possible that these remain dormant, 



88 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



or are not accentuated in the ordinary quiet 
routine life at home, but assume grave propor- 
tions as the result of the greater physical require- 
ments of work in a garden. Therefore, parents 
should ask advice of a doctor before encouraging 
their daughters to take up gardening. It probably 
will be found by those who are able to adopt it as a 
profession, that there will be fewer aimless and 
useless existences, and that there will be many 
more happy, long-lived people. 



CHAPTER XI 



WOMEN GARDENERS FOR SOUTH AFRICA 

There is small doubt that the subject of emigration 
to South Africa appeals to young Englishwomen, 
buoyant with youth and hopefulness, ambitious 
for adventure. A singular fascination exists about 
that virgin soil, clear air, brilliant sunlight. We 
know that nurses, teachers, mothers' helps, ser- 
vants are needed there. Unhesitatingly we recom- 
mend young women who belong to these professions 
to go to South Africa. They must thoroughly 
weigh beforehand the hardship of leaving home, 
and fully realise the obstacles they will have to 
overcome in a new country. Having faced these 
difficulties, they can, hovv^ever, be confident of 
success, for the refining influence of women is fully 
appreciated in what are still somewhat uncivilised 
surroundings. 

" Is this so with lady gardeners, are they likely 
to prove useful in South Africa ? " This is a 
question often asked, and still somewhat difficult 
to answer. Experience of the subject is meagre, 

89 



90 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



and the idea of sending ladies as gardeners to our 
colonies is a new one. We have had brilliant 
examples of success, and at the present moment 
a lady gardener at Bloemfontein is doing good 
work. Miss Hewetson's report to the South 
African Colonisation Society, on Cape Colony 
Fruit-farming, tells us, perhaps, most about the 
subject, and we feel that her views can guide us, 
as her supervision of the work of Kaffirs for a year 
and a half gave her personal experience in the 
matter. We know that there are vast possi- 
bilities of fruitful cultivation if only there existed 
more skilled, directing heads. What a change 
might be made in the production of the soil, if 
educated guides superintended the merely me- 
chanical ¥/ork of Kaffirs ! 

It is intelligence and enlightenment that are 
needed, brains that are wanted more than hands. 
We are told that it takes three busy months to 
prune fruit trees on a large Cape Colony farm. 
These fruit trees make only moderate growth, 
as in England, but in Natal growth is tropically 
luxuriant, and in pruning much wood has to be 
left for shade, otherwise the fruit becomes sun- 
baked. To carry out properly such operations 
intelligence is necessary. Then, again, we know 
that fruit packing and grading are large under- 
takings on many farms. We read of a farm with 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 91 



30,000 fruit trees and several vineyards, and can 
readily understand, not only the number of hands 
needed to sort and pack fruit, but the necessity 
of having clever overseers to speed on such work. 
Old inhabitants assure us that large profits could 
be made in dairying, poultry -rearing, bee-keeping, 
or flower-growing by English ladies who were 
earnest and adaptable, and possessed of capital 
as well as brains. The climate does not allow 
a white woman to dig or to undertake heavy work, 
but her services should be valuable to organise 
work for the natives. Until we have more definite 
examples of success, it is unwise to urge ladies to 
go to South Africa as gardeners. The safest course 
is, perhaps, to relate the steps that have up to now 
been taken, and leave all decision to the good 
judgment of those who contemplate taking up a 
profession which holds out decidedly good pros- 
pects to ladies who can face some degree of adven- 
ture. Much depends upon the natural taste and 
ambition of a woman. With good health, energy, 
and intelligence, people usually succeed in any 
country. 

The most important matter that has so far 
been undertaken is the organisation of a colonial 
branch of training at Swanley College for lady 
gardeners. Here, students are put through a 
course, intended to fit them, to a certain degree, 



92 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



for posts on fruit farms, dairy farms, and private 
gardens in South Africa. This training at home, 
excellent as it is, must, however, be supplemented 
by apprenticeship in the colony itself. The diffi- 
culties of a foreign land cannot be grasped in 
England. A college for lady gardeners in South 
Africa itself is what is really needed, and no doubt 
in time it will be started. Meanwhile, until it is 
in existence, it is necessary for those who con- 
template going as gardeners to the colonies to 
learn as much as possible at home. A two years' 
course should be taken in fruit-growing, packing, 
jam-making, bee-keeping, etc. These subjects, if 
thoroughly understood in our climate, will present 
fewer difficulties, and will be easier to deal with 
in new surroundings. An application to Mrs. 
Hopkinson, chairwoman of the South African 
Colonisation Society's Agricultural Committee, and 
of the colonial branch of the Horticultural College, 
Swanley, will secure all necessary information. 
The South African Colonisation Society offers ad- 
vice as to climate conditions. It is also constantly 
looking out for possible openings in South Africa, 
where experience of soil, climate and cultivation 
can be acquired. 

However successful one may be in out-of-door 
pursuits in England, the knowledge will still be 
inadequate in the colonies. The chance of success 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 93 



will lie in undertaking work with a spirit of pure 
humility. Only after a thorough course of in- 
struction in the country itself can the manage- 
ment of a post of any degree of responsibility be 
attempted. 

One considerable source of difficulty is the 
question of a white woman as overseer being left 
unprotected among Kaffirs. In small gardens, 
with only one boy," this danger is reduced, but 
in large ones it is almost a necessity that two 
ladies should protect each other. The proportion 
of men to women is about seven to one, and, 
therefore, some may consider that South Africa 
will not be, as regards lady gardeners, a woman's 
country for another fifty years. That it will be 
so then, we who are anxious to see the better 
cultivation of our great colony, upon lines in- 
dicated for us by Cecil Rhodes, venture to hope. 
When Englishwomen have firmly established a good 
reputation as landscape gardeners, directing experts 
and teachers in the mother country, they will doubt- 
less be welcomed with enthusiasm in our colonies. 

To those who are not deterred from making 
an attempt at gardening in South Africa by these 
few difficulties, I venture to give the following 
practical hints, which I am allowed to publish 
by the kindness of the South African Colonisation 
Society : — 



94 GAKDENIjSTG FOR WOMEN 



BOARD AND LODGING 

In Cape Colony , . from £5 to £8 per month 

In Natal . . . „ £4 10s. „ £8 

In Eliodesia . . . „ £9 „ £11 

In tlie Transvaal . . „ £7 „ £10 

In Orange River Colony . „ £6 ., £8 

Lamidry in Cape Colony costs from 8s. to 10s. per month. 

In the other colonies it is generally from 2s. to 8s. per 
doz. articles, irrespective of size. 

OUTFIT 

The same clothes are needed in South Africa 
as in England, except that furs are not necessary, 
and a larger supply of washing dresses, etc., are 
needed for the longer summers. Wool of some 
sort must always be worn next the skin, even if it 
is only a cholera belt in the hottest weather, on 
account of the sudden falls in the temperature. 
In the Transvaal and Orange River Colony the 
winters are bitterly cold, and warm underwear 
is there very necessary. 

Warm wraps are essential, as the nights seem 
bitterly cold by contrast to the hot, sunny days. 
Washing fabrics should be chosen of fast colours ; 
white linen, holland and Tussore silk wear the best. 
Light unwashable materials are unwise, as the 
dust is terrible all over the countr}^, and there 
are no good cleaners. Black and dark-coloured 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 95 



materials are inadvisable, as also most kinds of 
grey, as they become stained with red dust. 
Rough mixture tweeds in greens, browns and 
reds are most useful, or any other warm, light, 
dust-proof material. 

Brown shoes and stockings are better than 
black ones, and a good supply should be taken, as 
the wear is harder than at home. Gauze and 
chiffon veils are a great comfort in a dust storm, 
and it is wise to have a cushion for travelling. 

A thick mackintosh, overshoes, and a warn rug 
are essential. 

It is economical to provide a really serviceable 
outfit, calculated to last for some time, as clothes 
obtained in the colony are both more expensive 
and less satisfactory than in England. 

FARES 

(2nd Class Union-Castle Intermediate Steamers) 
To Cape Town . . . . £20 15s. to £21 13s. 
To Algoa Bay . . . . £21 13s. „ £23 9s. 
To East London . . . . £22 lis. „ £24 7s. 
To Durban £24 lis. 6d.£26 9s. 

N.B. — At least £1 10s. should be allowed for 
landing expenses, and about £1 for tips on board 
ship (the stewardess expects from 5s. to 10s., 
according to the amount of attention required on 



96 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



the voyage, and the cabin steward and table 
steward will expect 5s. each. Subscriptions to 
games and other tips are optional). An Emergency 
Fund of a few pounds should also be kept in hand. 
Passengers are met at the various ports by South 
African Colonisation Society agents, and they can 
stay at the Hostels of the South African Coloni- 
sation Society, where board and lodging are pro- 
vided for from 3s. 6d. per day. 

A girl with a long railway journey before her 
would do well to provide herself with food at the 
port of landing ; tea and coffee can always be 
obtained en route. 

Besides the regulation cabin trunk (this must 
not exceed 14 inches in height, 2 feet in breadth, 
or 3 feet in length), it is wise to have two smaller 
boxes in preference to one big one, as they are more 
convenient for transit in South Africa, and are less 
likely to get damaged in loading and unloading on 
board ship. Second-class passengers are allowed 
25 cubic feet of baggage free on the ship ; any 
excess is charged Is. 6d. per cubic foot. On the 
South African Railways 75 lbs. only of luggage is 
allowed free to second-class passengers ; all excess 
is charged according to scale. 

Girls going to towns, who possess bicycles 
in good condition, are advised to take them, but 
they will have to pay duty on them — as much as 



GARDENING FOE WOMEN 97 



15s. in all probability; also the train freightage 
is heavy. On the boat they are shipped as luggage 
without extra charge if the 25 cubic feet of baggage 
be not exceeded. 

Introductions to residents in South Africa are 
given to everyone going out under the auspices of 
the S.A.C.S., so that all may find friends on arriving 
in the new country. 



H 



CHAPTEE XII 



ITALIAN POT GAEDENS: A SUGGESTION 

A WELL-KNOWN French horticulturist, director of 
many parks, once gave most flattering praise to 
an English garden. He called it " m jar din 
intime.^^ These three words sum up what most 
of us wish our gardens to be. 

We bring to them, from other countries, plants 
that recall pleasant memories. As we watch these 
growing happily in our herbaceous borders, thoughts 
come to us of those who gave them, of happy 
meetings, and unforgotten scenes. In England 
we make real friends of our gardens ; we confide 
many secrets to their safe keeping. Owing to a 
temperate climate, we have long in which to mark 
the slow development of bud and blossom. The 
time of flowering is late, and it remains all the 
longer for our enjoyment. When spring flowers 
are over, there are lovelier ones to look forward to. 
We have not to combat the heat and drought 
which so speedily bring summer beauty to an end 
in Italian gardens. It is, no doubt, on account 

98 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 99 



of climate that abroad the bedding-out system 
has been adopted, and thus much of that intimacy 
with herbaceous plants, which we have, is there 
unknown. Our English gardens are tended care- 
fully and steadily all the year round ; a feeling of 
rest and peace pervades them. 

In Italy a garden is neglected during the winter, 
whilst the Signoria are away. Beds and paths are 
left unweeded, all vegetation appears to be dead, 
and the gardener occupies himself only with vines, 
vegetables and plants growing in pots, which later 
will be the chief means of dressing-up the grounds. 
Most Tuscan villas in winter have the appearance 
of a Palace of Sleep. We wonder how it will be 
possible, when the Fairy Prince arrives, to transform 
disorder into a well-kept, beautiful place. We 
realise as we see so wonderful a change occur, how 
valuable a touch of this surprise would be to our 
old-fashioned English homes. It would improve 
not only the appearance of our gardens, but en- 
hance the architectural beauty of our houses. 

This sudden transformation is brought about 
upon the first really warm spring day, as if by the 
stroke of a fairy's wand. Then the doors of the 
orangery are flung open, and ornamental pots of 
all sizes and shapes are brought out by means of 
rollers and stood in striking positions in the pleasure 
grounds. During the last few years we have been 



100 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



shown in England, througli the good taste and 
skill of Mrs. Watts and others, what can be done in 
the way of terra -cotta work for the adornment of 
gardens. There is nothing new to us in the lovely 
boxes, sundials, fountains, vases and pots that we 
see designed, but we have not all, perhaps, suc- 
ceeded in mastering the art of the Italian in placing 
these objects, with striking effect, in masses. 

With a view to studying this we wandered 
round many gardens in Tuscany. We were shown 
lovely loggias overhung with climbing roses ; 
masses of tall graceful arums and many coloured 
carnations in pots, stood beneath them in cool shade. 
Flowering bushes outside were carpeted with sweet- 
smelUng violets, w^alls and arbours were hidden 
under lavender wistaria, white and pink camellias 
lit up the borders of shrubberies. Nothing, of all 
this luxuriant vegetation, was arranged quite in 
accordance with our English taste. We were dis- 
satisfied, until one day we chanced upon a garden 
which seemed to combine successful herbaceous 
arrangement with ornamental pot decoration. 

A narrow country lane, hedged in on either 
side by cypresses, led to the front of the villa. The 
terrace, with old-fashioned stone seats built into 
the corners of the wall, invited the passer-by to 
rest beneath the shade of an overhanging syca- 
more and look down upon a lovely stretch of 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 101 



country below. Near by, dense box hedges shel- 
tered some plantations of fruit trees, all pink and 
white with blossom, while beneath grew delicious 
scented narcissus. The shadows played upon the 
grey and green of the olive gardens, and deep 
blue in the distance were the hills round Fiesole. 
Florence itself was hidden, but close to us the stately 
Certosa crowned her dome -shaped hill. To the 
left, an opening in the hills showed us the misty 
plain of Prato, looking like a still lake in dreamland 
dotted with small white ships. The villa door 
stood temptingly open, and ascending a flight of 
stone steps we entered the small, cool, paved court. 

It was different from most courtyards. In the 
place of orange trees in pots there were flower 
beds amidst the paving. Each was round in shape 
and contained a graceful lilac bush carpeted with 
mauve violas. In the centre of the court was a 
well with ornamental ironwork railings, against 
which stood handsome Amaryllis lilies in pots. The 
walls of the house had roses climbing up them ; 
so robust were they that their stems had twined 
around the iron window gratings, making, with their 
thorns, a double security against attack. The 
whole effect was cool and quiet^ — a good preparation 
for the blaze of colour which met us, as we passed 
under the dark archway into the garden itself. 

What struck us most, when first we saw it, 



102 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



was the height above the ground to which colour 
had been raised, by planting shrubs in large orna- 
mental terra-cotta pots. It will be seen upon the 
plan, that these not only stand upon the paths and 
walls, but are arranged at intervals, in the very 
midst of the herbaceous borders. Large grey 
stones, about a foot above the level of the flower 
bed, are placed for the pots to stand upon. A 
groove, in the form of a cross, is cut in the stone, 
to allow the drainage from the pot to run off 
easily. These stones and the lower portion of 
the pots are partially hidden by groups of irises, 
pseonies, aquilegias and roses, growing in the 
border. Just a touch of the terra-cotta flower- 
pot with its handsome ornamentation of wreaths, 
is seen above the blue and white of the irises or the 
many-coloured ranunculuses, and then, above, high 
up, we get the foliage and colour of the shrub 
which is planted in the pot. It is certainly a most 
effective way of giving height and variety to a flat, 
rather uninteresting piece of ground. 

Most of the pots had lemons or oranges growing 
in them. In our country it is possible to have these 
only in the more sheltered parts, but laurustinus, 
box trees, bays, lilacs, hydrangeas or roses could 
be used instead. Even should the pots occasionally 
have to stand empty, they are so exceedingly hand- 
some and decorative in themselves, that they only 




DRAWN FROM PLANS MADE BV MISS MARY CAMPION. 



GAKDENING FOR WOMEN 103 



improve the general appearance of the garden. 
They are made in different shapes and sizes. Some 
are very elaborately ornamented, but the kind of 
which a sketch is given are the simplest and most 
dignified. 

No one who has seen an Italian garden, so 
arranged, can dispute the beauty of it. It may 
be suggested that in England it would be difficult 
to protect the terra-cotta from cracking in frosty 
weather. Experience in southern counties has been 
favourable, and should it not be so in colder places, 
they can be put under cover for the winter months. 

The plan which is given is from drawings 
made by the kindness of Miss M. G. Campion. 
Although * it is rather elaborate, it could easily be 
modified for a small garden. It represents about 
an acre of land, which is cleverly arranged to allow 
of the combined cultivation of fruit trees, flowers 
and vegetables. It is closed in upon every side. 
The house shelters it from the east wind, the long 
orangery casts a shadow upon the south side and 
makes it possible to have a lovely bed of lilies 
of the valley near by. On the north, besides 
the trees, is a high wall. The west is the most 
exposed, as it has a hornbeam hedge through 
which small openings are cut, to show the hills 
with vineyards outside the grounds. Against the 
hedges stand large, empty oil jars, in terra-cotta. 



104 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



their graceful shapes showing well against the 
dark green. Eound the central fountain is a 
3 -ft. wall, wide enough to have pink Bourbon 
roses, in pots, standing upon it. Each of the 
four smaller fountains forms the centre of a little 
plot of ground. These plots are divided into 
four beds. Each bed is large enough to have 
several pink and white blossomed fruit trees 
and some gooseberry bushes. Amongst them are 
planted spring-flowering bulbs such as narcissus, 
tulips, etc., for cutting. Other beds have smaller 
fruit trees, or currant bushes and roses alternate. 
The dark red-green foliage of the rose bushes con- 
trasts with the fresh green of other plants. A few 
plots are reserved for vegetables, but, as a rule, 
these are close to a border of flowers; therefore, 
the garden, although small, is ornamental as well 
as useful. From below the windows of the house 
comes a delicious scent of freesias, and as we look 
more closely, we see orange-red tulips planted 
amongst them, the deeper notes of orange in the 
freesias corresponding with the colour of the tuUps. 

The plan, if carefully studied, will give a good 
idea, therefore, of a successful combination of per- 
manent herbaceous borders, improved, dressed up, 
and heightened by the addition of ornamental 
terra-cotta pot decoration. 





DRAWN FROM SKETCHES BY MISS MARY CAMPION. TO BE OBTAINED FROM THE SCHOOL OF 
LADY GARDENERS. GLYNDE, SUSSEX. 



CHAPTER XIII 



FOR THOSE WHO HESITATE TO EMPLOY LADY 
GARDENERS 

Many ladies who own large gardens take personal 
interest in the arrangement of the grounds. Not 
only do they wish to have beautiful, sweet smell- 
ing flowers in glasses and bowls to adorn their 
rooms ; they also aspire to have plants grouped 
harmoniously in herbaceous borders and in formal 
beds. There has arisen a kind of competition to 
have as good a garden, if not a better one, than our 
neighbour. In the case of some specially gifted 
and energetic ladies, lovely gardens have been 
created, through their directions being carefully 
followed by the head gardener. Some illustrations 
of such are given in this volume. Possessed of 
complete knowledge about the flowers best suited 
to the soil and position, having carefully studied 
the height, time of flowering, and prettiest com- 
binations of colour for beds, they are competent 
to direct themselves. It sometimes occurs, how- 
ever, that the lady of the house is willing to devote 

105 



106 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



a small amount of time to planning garden effects, 
but family and social duties call her away. She 
can only give general directions to the clever gar- 
dener, and leave him to carry them out. Although 
many men are skilled in growing fine specimen 
plants, few are sufficiently well educated, or 
possessed of the natural taste requisite to execute 
their employer's wishes. 

I hope no one will suppose that, because this 
book is intended to be a guide to lady gardeners, 
I am "narrow-minded enough to think in a depreci- 
ative way of men gardeners. Some of them are 
personal friends whom I respect, esteem, and who, 
I am aware, have done infinitely better work than 
any lady has so far achieved. Many are not only 
gardeners, they are artists as well. I have the 
highest opinion of them and their profession. I 
do feel strongly, however, that there is a large 
field open to young gentlewomen anxious to take 
up this work. There are many gardens, too, 
where a change has necessarily to be made, and 
the owners will benefit by substituting a lady in the 
place of a man, as head gardener. 

I should like to draw the attention of employers 
to two important points connected with this subject : 

1. A lady must be selected ; not a " would-be " 
one. Only if she is this at heart, will she have 
authority over men working for her. 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 10? 



2, She should have the same salary as a man. 
A lady gardener must not be considered an economy. 
Many people without consciences think they can 
exact the same amount of manual work from a 
young woman that they would expect from a 
man. They also imagine, because she is a woman, 
they can pay her lower wages. Pay her well, 
and treat her well. Her honesty and intelligence 
will save expense in the end, but do not economise 
upon her salary. The advantages to be gained 
by the employer, should he appoint a lady as head 
gardener, are these : 

(1) Scientific knowledge and true artistic taste. 
Owing to a college training, and first-rate 
general education, she should have better scientific 
knowledge than the ordinary labouring man who 
has worked his way up from village schooldays, 
through the different grades of a gardener's life, to 
be head over others of his own class. She will 
possess a good grounding in botany and the science 
of soils. In short, she can reason scientifically. 
Instead of saying, " Oh, so-and-so won't ever grow 
here, the soil does not suit it," she will be able to 
ascertain what quality is lacking in the ground, 
and by adding an ingredient secure proper growth. 
Thus, an end will be made to the often erroneous 
ideas of a foreman, who, because he does not know 
the requirements of a plant, gives up the idea of 



108 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



growing it, or continues absolutely satisfied with 
the weedy specimen under his care. 

A lady gardener, too, owing to her early sur- 
roundings, the study of pictures, gardens, and 
beautiful objects, should possess greater capacity 
for appreciating fully the requirements of the 
lady of the house. Plans for the arrangements of 
flower beds, shrubbery, borders, surprises of all 
sorts, are more speedily, more satisfactorily de- 
cided upon when two people meet upon the ground 
of similarity of education. 

(2) Taste in colour. 

This is more developed with the majority of 
women than with men. We have so many oppor- 
tunities, at the fortnightly exhibitions of the 
Royal Horticultural Society, of seeing the latest 
productions of beautiful flowers. Then, too, there 
are books, such as Robinson's " English Flower 
Garden," Kelway's Manual, Wright's " Beautiful 
Gardens," to guide us. They show us plans for 
grouping colours harmoniously in herbaceous 
borders. Nowadays we all know what we want 
to achieve, but we often fail to find the right one 
to fulfil our imaginings. It hurts the eye to see 
scarlet geraniums growing near mauve asters, or 
the delicate pink of the Dorothy Perkins rose 
killed by being placed near a glaring red brick 
wall The lady gardener should, by her natural 



GARDENING FOE WOMEN 109 



taste and good judgment, avoid such mistakes of 
arrangement both in the ordering of plants for 
flower borders, and in the decoration of flowers in 
rooms. A dinner-table should be an easy matter 
for her to plan. Lightness of touch will enable 
her to succeed in mixing graceful, soft foliage with 
suitable flowers. She will accomplish this in less 
time than the average man gardener. 

Week-end parties are a favoured form of enter- 
taining, and often the lady of the house is busy in 
London during the week, only arriving at her 
country house just before her guests. It will give 
her a pleasant sensation of ease if she has someone 
at home to whom she can absolutely entrust the 
decoration of her rooms and dinner-table. Then, 
too, another important matter is the selection, 
gathering, and packing up of suitable flowers to 
send away. My experience has always been that 
men gardeners do not study this sufficiently. 
They gather beautiful carnations, pentstemon, 
irises, or whatever their speciality may be, but 
forget that suitable green or coloured foliage 
must be mixed with them to show off the blossom. 
Knowing the very great difficulties of arranging 
flowers in glasses, a lady will be more careful 
about this than a man. 

(3) Honesty and trustworthiness. 

The lady gardener is a gentlewoman, and, 



110 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



therefore, we presume she possesses these qualities. 
I do not mean to cast the faintest aspersion upon 
the honesty of men gardeners ! There have been 
instances of dishonesty and drunkenness amongst 
them, and as a class they are certainly open 
to greater temptations than a lady. Many owners 
of moderately large places, where perhaps no 
agent or bailiff is kept, are forced to be absent 
for some months each year ; others fill high 
positions in diplomacy, and are obliged to spend 
some years away from home. To such, it will 
be a satisfaction to feel that they leave a capable 
lady at the head of affairs. Someone is at home 
who can be trusted, and will report to them if 
things are not going on as they would wish. 

I am often questioned as to whether a lady can 
possibly exert authority and influence over/ a 
working man. I am certain, if she is the right 
kind of woman, she can. Let her, without hesi- 
tation, dismiss the first drunken under-gardener 
she meets with, and the others will respect her, 
and not try to take advantage of her because she 
is a woman. 

(4) As companions. 

The above remarks apply chiefly to a large 
flower and vegetable garden. I think women 
are equally suited to small posts. We often hear 
of a maiden lady living in the country who needs 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 111 



company. She would be pleased if a nice, cheerful, 
bright girl lived with her to share her pleasure in 
the garden. The strength and vigour of the young 
girl would compass things which the elderly lady 
could not attempt unassisted. Thus companion- 
ship would be added to the joy of gardening. 

Then, also, we know of many a young married 
woman with a large family of children, whose 
limited means necessitate a country life. The 
children are sent to school, and return home only 
in holiday time, or they have daily teachers who 
leave them after lessons. Surely an arrangement 
might be made by which some of their free time 
could be turned to profitable, and yet pleasant 
account, by their working a little in the garden 
under the direction of the lady gardener. Children 
love planting and digging. If encouraged, they 
will take the greatest interest in beautifying a 
garden. Some lessons in nature study, too, could 
be given occasionally to increase their love for a 
country life. 

This comparatively new idea of having some- 
one to talk over garden arrangements with, in a 
friendly and more or less companionable way, 
usually smiles upon the woman of the house. She, 
at last, sees within her reach the possibility of 
achieving artistic effects which she has long thought 
of in her day dreams, but has failed to get carried 



112 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



out. Against the dark green yew hedge, how 
lovely will be the group of tall, stately pink holly- 
hocks, with pale rose-coloured annual larkspurs, 
Japanese anemones, and silver- foliaged plants 
intermingled with them! What lovely combi- 
nations of plants bearing similar coloured foliage 
she can arrange to plant together ! There will be 
irises, German and Spanish ones, then the white 
drooping bells of hyacinth candicans, followed 
by scarlet tritomas and montbretias, bringing 
their brightness to cheer dull autumn days. How 
satisfactorily she now will be able to maintain a 
constant succession of colour in herbaceous borders 
throughout the year ! 

In short, the advent of a lady gardener is 
pleasing to her. Her husband will probably not 
approve the innovation. "If I see the poor 
thing out working in a heavy downpour of rain, 
I shall feel a brute not to go and help her," he will 
say as he smokes his pipe reflectively, and medi- 
tates over the follies of womenkind. But, I ask, 
what man head gardener need work in rain ? 
If he does, he will probably do more harm than 
good, by making a mess of the ground. Need he, 
wet or fine, do much manual labour ? No ! his 
duties lie chiefly in directing the men under his 
charge ; in executing the lighter, but more intri- 
cate work of pruning, thinning out grapes, and 



GARDENING FOE WOMEN 113 

secretarial duties. Above all, he must plan the 
succession of crops. All these matters can be done 
equally well, if not more speedily, by an educated 
woman. 

As this book aims at introducing lady gardeners 
to employers, I should like to ask for these gentle- 
women the good treatment, absolute trust, gentle 
handling, which their position entitles them to 
receive. Without the entire confidence of their 
masters, no ladies would wish to take up a post, 
but with their support, and the power to dismiss 
those under their authority who they find are dis- 
honest or undeserving, lady gardeners should be 
absolutely successful. No longer need there be 
that frequent termination to all pleasure in a large 
garden, when the head gardener grows only what 
he likes, and not what his master requires. How 
often, when shown round a large place, one is 
struck by the remark, " Oh, Dibber never lets us 
have violets or carnations, all his interest is centred 
in vegetable growing " ; or " Truman gives all his 
time to preparing plants for exhibition ; he is cer- 
tainly very successful in winning prizes, but we come 
off badly, as all the best things are sent to exhi- 
bitions ! " Instead, therefore, of having someone 
to contend with, or a man whose obstinacy has to 
be circumvented before a bunch of sweet peas can 

be brought into the house, you will have a friend 
I 



114 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



who will endeavour to give you all she can suc- 
cessfully grow, and whose taste and judgment 
can be relied upon. 

Every year the number of women students at 
horticultural colleges increases. The profession 
appeals to many, and there are now a large number 
who, having completed their education, are seek- 
ing posts. Up to the present time, the supply is in 
excess of the demand. This is, I believe, the case 
with all professions until they have become firmly 
established. Employers still hesitate to try a 
lady gardener. Then, too, the ladies who up to 
now have desired to have women head gardeners, 
have usually possessed large gardens, needing 
many hands to work them. It is natural that the 
young woman who but lately was a student, superin- 
tended and guided in all her undertakings by a 
teacher, hesitates about managing a large garden. 
There are many such who still hold back in diffi- 
dence, hoping to obtain a small post first. 

I sincerely trust, when this is fully realised by 
those interested in the success of women horti- 
culturalists, that many owners of medium sized 
or small gardens will come forward and offer posts 
to women. A garden of one or two acres, with a 
small greenhouse, and only one or two labourers 
for rough work, will be best suited to a newly 
fledged lady gardener. She should be able to 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 115 



manage this, and two or three years spent in it will 
be a good preparation for a post entailing larger 
responsibilities. I do not think that anyone who 
is generous spirited enough to offer such posts to 
ladies will repent the act. 



Part II 



CHAPTER XIV 

COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS FOR LADY GARDENERS IN 
GREAT BRITAIN 

The following syllabuses of British colleges and 
schools are submitted for the use of ladies inter- 
ested in gardening. It is hoped that they may 
assist all those who, in England or abroad, have 
the management of such training centres. By 
means of them it will be easy to compare notes 
as to the various methods of imparting practical 
information ; the form in which foreign sylla- 
buses are staged may inspire fresh ideas. I should 
like to add that I do not, of course, consider what 
I am able to give of these particulars as in any 
way comprehensive ; but it has been my endeavour 
to insert only details of colleges and schools that 
have been in existence some time. I have re- 
ceived the syllabuses and many interesting notes 
through the kindness of those who have at heart 
the wish that ladies should succeed in the profession 
of horticulture. 

116 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 117 



THE THATCHAM FRUIT AND FLOWER FARM SCHOOL 
OF GARDENING, HENWICK, NEAR NEWBURY 

Principals : Lily Hughes Jones, F.K.H.S. ; Mary 
Peers, F.K.H.S 

1st Class Certificates and Bee Experts) 

The farm is situated on high ground in the Kennet 
Valley, facing south, one and three-quarter miles from 
Newbury, two miles from Thatcham Station, about twelve 
miles from Reading, and one-quarter mile from the Bath 
Road. 

The residence is a roomy old farm-house, facing south; 
Its position is thoroughly healthy, 400 feet above sea 
level: 

An old-fashioned garden lies to one side of the house, 
and four acres of land on the other side, on which the 
main crops are grown, consisting of hardy fruits, perennials, 
and other crops; 

The farm is conducted as a market garden for business 
purposes. Students will thus see practical work — ^the 
object being to provide outdoor work of the healthiest kind, 
and at the same time to give a thoroughly practical know- 
ledge of country life — knowledge that may be used as a 
means of livelihood or in superintending a garden, and 
will, in any case, be of unfailing interest and use in after 
Hfe. It is not intended to take a large number of students, 
so that each student will have individual attention, and 
her capacity be carefully studied. 

The greatest care is taken with regard to the food of 
the students, and their health carefully guarded. 



118 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



PRACTICAL WORK 

Horticulture. — Instruction in all branches of outdoor 
gardening ; specialities being made of herbaceous plants, 
violets, and fruit. 

Bee-Keeping. — Instruction in the management of bees, 
including lectures and coaching for the B. B. K. A. Ex- 
perts' Examinations. Practical work and manipulation 
is carried on in the farm apiary. 

Carpentering. — Students are instructed in the work- 
shop in the making of various gardening and bee-keeping 
appliances. 1 

Jam Factory. — Jam making is taught in the small 
factory which was instituted for the production of home- 
made preserves. 

A French garden has now been added, and a com- 
petent Frenchman teaches this branch only. It is worked 
upon the lines of the famous " Maraiche " system, and 
differs in every detail from an English garden. All vege- 
tables and fruits are brought on out of season. At present 
we have 400 frames, all made, glazed, painted, by the 
students, and 1,000 cloches: 

Two other French gardens have been started in Eng- 
land, and have proved successful; 

THEORETICAL WORK 

Horticulture. — Complete courses of instruction are 
given in the various branches of horticulture, including 
Entomology, Soils and Manures. 

*Botany, for R. H. S. Examinations. Lectures on the 

* These lectures are optional.^ 



GAKDENING FOR WOMEN 119 



elements of morphology and physiology of flowering 
plants, with practical work, can be attended .- 

Students also get a thorough insight into packing, 
purchasing, and marketing produce. 

Floral Work. — Demonstrations are given in bouquet- 
making and floral arrangements. 

Session — The year is divided into three terms of about 
thirteen weeks each. 

Fees. — For the full course, including everything with 
the exception of botany lectures, £55 per annum. Botany, 
30s. per term, in addition? 

Extras. — A small fee of 5s. per annum is charged for 
the use of all tools in various departments. All fees 
payable in advance at the beginning of each term. A 
term's notice of removal of any student must be given, 
in writing, to the principal, otherwise a term's fees will 
be charged. Application for forms of entrance and further 
details to be addressed to the principals. It is advisable 
to train for a period not shorter than two years, as ex- 
perience necessary for success in an after career cannot 
be gained in less time. Short courses of instruction are 
arranged when desired. 

INSTRUCTION IN PRACTICAL GARDENINa FOR LADIES, 
GLYNDE, NEAR LEWES, SUSSEX 

Principal : The Hon. Frances Wolseley 
Patrons : The Lady Ardilaun, Miss G. Jekyll, Miss 
White, E. 0. Greening, Esq., W. Robinson, Esq., 
Mrs. Charles Earle, Miss Willmott 
The school was founded in 1901-2, and is supervised 



120 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



by the Hon. Frances Wolseley. The number of students 
is limited, and great care is taken as to their selection. 
A personal interview and the highest references are required 
before admission; The following arrangements for the 
course of work are a development upon specialised hues 
of the scheme which has up to now existed. The chief 
objects of the course are : — 

To give a thorough foundation in the management 
of all the more hardy garden plants 

To improve taste in the laying out and arrangement 
of gardens. To teach the daily routine work of a private 
garden, so essential to those who, later, wish to become 
private head gardeners. 

To give students responsibihty and thus enable them 
more easily to be competent to undertake posts when their 
course of training is completed. 

A competent, practical superintendent gives instruction 
in flower, fruit and vegetable growing. In addition to 
this well-known advisory experts visit the school from 
time to time and give lectures upon the theory and special 
branches of horticulture. H. Edmonds, Esq., B.Sc, of 
the Municipal School at Brighton, lectures upon Botany 
and the Chemistry of the Soil. 

Mr. Back gives demonstrations upon fruit culture. 
Mr. Paris lectures upon Bee-keeping. Mr. Edmund D. 
Foster, Head of the Engineering Department of the Brighton 
Technical College, has undertaken to lecture upon Land 
Surveying. 

A special feature of the garden is the arrangement of 
Italian Oil Jars and Lemon Pots. 



GARDENING FOR AVOMEN 121 



Students are eucouraged to take personal interest 
in all alterations and improvements made in the 
gardens; 

Attention is given to th.e every-day work of a garden, 
comprising : — The care of grass, paths and beds ; mowing, 
sweeping and general tidiness ; digging, trenching and 
other ground operations, raising plants from seeds and 
cuttings, their subsequent treatment ; culture of herbaceous 
alpine plants and roses ; forcing violets, Dutch bulbs, 
richardias, etc. ; watering, ventilation and other points 
of glass-house management. Gathering and packing 
flowers and general varieties of vegetables for market 
is carried out. Fruit is grown, including bush, standards, 
espahers and strawberries. 

Arrangements are made by which students can visit 
local gardens. They are required to keep notes of these 
visits and to answer in writing questions upon them. 
The advantages thus gained to students, in comparing 
their own work with that of those having life -long ex- 
perience, will be a special feature of the school 

Students are encouraged to stay two years if it is 
found that their special needs can be pro^dded for. In 
any case they should not stay less than one year. Advice 
is given as to their future; 

A half -holiday is given once a week when the necessary 
work allows. This impHes that quiet times alternate 
with busy ones, and it is necessary that a high standard in 
the appearance of a garden should be maintained. 

Fees for practical instruction, £10 per annum, payable 
after a week's mutual trial. Should the student, owing 



122 GARDENING FOE WOMEN 



to any serious breach of discipline, be asked to leave at 
Miss Wolseley's wish, this sum is refunded. 

The lectures of experts are £2 per annum extra. 

Preparation for Royal Horticultural Society's Exam- 
ination, £1 extra, but only two-year students go in for this. 

Lodgings, conveniently near the gardens, where several 
students board together, can be secured at 17s. per week, 
for board and lodging. Each student defrays these ex- 
penses. 

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, HEADING 

Principal : W. M. Childs, M.A., Keble College, Oxford 
(Professor of Modem History). 

Director of the Departine'Ut of Agriculture and Horti- 
culture : Professor John Percival, M.A., St. John's 
College, Cambridge. 

Assistant Directors : Edward Brown, F.L.S. (Agr - 
culture) ; Charles Foster, F.R.H.S. (Horticulture). 

Registrar : Francis H, Wright. 

The day classes of the college are open to men and 
women students over the age of sixteen. Students who 
do not live at their own homes are required to reside in 
the college hostels or in lodgings licensed by the college; 
Women students in residence for not less than one session 
(three terms) are required to reside in the college hostels, 
unless they have received the principal's permission to 
reside elsewhere. 

courses in horticulture 
The Depaitment of Agriculture and Horticulture was 
founded in 1 893. Its work is carried on under the inspection 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 123 



of the Board of Agriculture. Courses in Horticulture 
consist of lectures and laboratory work in tlie college 
and of practical work in the college garden and fruit 
station. 

The college garden, four acres in extent, adjoins the 
main college buildings in London Road, Reading. It 
consists of vegetable and flower gardens and orchard, 
and is provided with horticultural buildings. The houses, 
greenhouses, vineries (early and late), peach house, etc.-, 
are used for plant and fern growing, general florist work, 
market work, and the culture of grapes, pot fruit trees, 
etc. Students spend upwards of twenty hours per week 
in the garden, and, in addition, pay frequent visits to 
neighbouring private gardens, as well as to Messrs. Sutton 
and Sons' Trial Grounds, the exhibitions of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, and the Royal Gardens, Kew. 

Besides instruction and practice in the routine opera- 
tions of the garden, students are placed in charge of sections 
of both indoor and outdoor work. In their second year they 
may specialise in market and florists' work, or in fruit 
growing, in preparation for work at home or in the Colonies. 
In all cases they pay special attention to the business side 
of horticulture and assist in the work of marketing and 
book-keeping. 

During their two sessions' course, students may take 
advantage of the workshop, and of the instruction in 
carpentry, etc., provided, to learn how to make up boxes, 
staging, and how to repair, glaze, and paint. 

In addition to preparing for the college diploma or 
certificate, students may also prepare for the examinations 



124 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



of the Royal Horticultural Society or of the Board of 
Education, South Kensington; 

During the session 1905-6, eleven acres of the college 
farm at Shinfield, two and a half miles from Reading, 
were planted as a fruit station. On this station students 
will be able to study modem methods of fruit and vegetable 
cultivation on a commercial scale. 

Courses of instruction have been arranged as follows : — 

The diploma in Jiorticulture is awarded at the end of 
a two years' course in the science and practice of horti- 
culture. The course is designed for students who intend 
to take up horticulture as a career. It provides training 
in the sciences on which the practice of horticulture is 
based, in market and florist work, and in fruit-growing. 

Each session of the course extends over forty weeks, 
including the thirty weeks of the ordinary college session, 
together with ten weeks of practical work only, arranged to 
suit the convenience of individual students. 

The diploma with distinction in special subjects is 
awarded to students who, having gained the diploma, 
spend a third year at the college pursuing special studies, 
and who pass the examination prescribed. The course is 
adapted to the requirements of those who may become 
teachers of horticulture or specialists in some particular 
branch of horticulture.- 

Note. — The above diplomas are granted by the Oxford 
and Reading Joint Committee, on which are represented 
the college, the University of Oxford, the Royal Agricul- 
tural Society, and the Royal Horticultural Society. 

The certificate in horticulture (granted by the college) 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 125 



is awarded to students who have followed a one-year 
course at the college (forty weeks) and have satisfied the 
examiners in the subjects of the first year examination 
for the diploma. 

The subjects of examination for the diploma and 
certificate are as follows : — 

Diflo7na {First Year) and Certificate 

1. Theory and practice of horticulture (including 

composition of soils, cultivation, the use of 
tools and manures ; the vegetable garden, 
flower garden, rose garden, rock garden ; 
orchard, lawn, shrubbery ; aquatic and bog 
plants) 

2. Botany (theoretical and practical). 

3. General chemistry and physics (theoretical and 

practical). 

4. Book-keeping. 
Diploma (Second Year) 

1. Theory and practice of horticulture (including 

more advanced study of soils and manures, 
cultivation under glass, forcing, methods of 
dealing with fungoid diseases and insect pests, 
improvement of plants by budding, hybridi- 
sation, etc., packing and marketing, florists' 
work, storage of fruit). 

2. Botany (theoretical and practical); 

3. Entomology (theoretical and practical). 

The fees for the above full courses are as follows : — 
For students who have resided for not less than a year 
in the County Borough of Reading or the administrative 



126 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



Counties of BerksHre, Oxfordshire, or Buckinghamshire, 
£18 the session of forty weeks ; for other students, £24 
the session. 

Students may, however, enter for shorter periods 
than one year, and may take courses of practical work, 
together with such lectures as may suit their requirements. 
The fees are : — ^For five weeks, £7 7s., for ten weeks, £10 lOs; 
In addition to the above fees, all students pay the registra- 
tion fee of one shilling per session, and there are entrance 
fees for examinations. The cost of board and lodging at 
the college hostels is 21s. per week (for a cubicle), or 
25s. to 30s. (for a study bedroom) 

Diplomas are not awarded to candidates under the 
age of twenty-one. 

Scholarships tenable at the college are awarded from 
time to time by the County Councils of Berkshire, Bucking- 
hamshire, Oxfordshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Somersetshire, 
and Gloucestershire. Apphcation should be made to the 
Education Secretaries of these counties. 

Courses in Agriculture, Dairying, and Poultry-keeping 
are held at the college. Practical instruction is given at 
the College Farm, Shinfield, the British Dairy Institute, 
Reading, and the College Poultry Farm, Theale. 

List of Women Students who have Passed the Ex- 
aminations FOR the Diploma in Horticulture 

1904.— Ellen C. WaUace. 1906.— CaroHne Pellew, 
LiUan S. Tuckett, Brenda M. Young. 1907.— Dorothy 
M. Cayiey, Dorothy A. E. Dyson, Adelaide M. Taylor, 
Henrietta C. Tuke. 



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GARDENING FOR WOMEN 127 

THE HOETICULTURAL COLLEGE, SWANLEY 1 
Principal : Miss F. R. Wilkinson 
Vice- Principal and Secretary : Miss M. Kekewich 
Lady Superintendent : Mrs. Watson, South Bank, Swanley 

LECTURERS 

Bee-keeping, W. Herrod, F.E.3, Book-keeping, H. W. 
Kersey (Lecturer on Book-keeping, Wye College). Botany, 
Vegetable Pathology, R. J. Tabor, F.L.S, Dairy, Miss 
Dawson, N.D.D. (Certificate Midland Dairy Institute). 
Entomology, F. V. Theobald, M.A., F.L.S. (Lecturer on 
Entomology, Wye College). Gardening, Miss Villiers- 
Stuart. ^Greenhouse Construction, F. A. Fawkes. Horti- 
cultural Science and Rural Economy, F. J. Baker, A.R.C.Sc. 
Lond. Manual Training, W. Herrod. Poultry, Miss 
Dawson. 

Head Gardener : Mr. J. Lawson 

There is also a staff of under-gardeners and labourers. 

The college is situated seventeen and a half miles from 
London, and one and a half miles from Swanley Junction 
Station on the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. 

Women were admitted in 1892, the college being the 
first place to open its doors to women students who wished 
to obtain a thorough training in horticulture. 

It stands in forty -three acres of freehold land, allotted 
to fiower, kitchen, market gardens, fruit plantations, 
plajdng fields, also conservatories and glasshouses for 
market work 

Lecture rooms and laboratories form part of the college, 

* Courses in these subjects are given once in two years. 



128 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



while adjoining are a workshop, farm buildings, apiary, 
dairy, poultry runs, etc. 

It aims at giving a thorough training to fit women to 
become market growers, gardeners in private places, 
teachers of nature-study and colonists, or to enable them 
to manage their own property. 

COURSES OF INSTRUCTION 

The full horticultural course lasts two years, and con- 
sists of practical work out of doors and under glass, with 
lectures on scientific principles. Diplomas or certificates 
are awarded to students who have qualified. 

COLONIAL BRANCH 

Courses are specially arranged for intending colonists, 
which, in addition to gardening, include a simple training 
in cooking, housework, laundry, needlework, and hygiene. 

NATURE-STUDY COURSE 

A course for training Garden and Nature-Study mis- 
tresses in botany, zoology, geology, meteorology, and 
simple gardening, extends over one year. 

A holida}' course for school teachers is held in August, 
and afiords special opportunities for field work, gardening, 
dairying, etc. 

SHORT COURSES 

In the spring and summer terms, courses are arranged, 
lasting six weeks. These include the following subjects : — 
gardening, dairying, poultry-keeping, bee-keeping, and 
fruit preserving. *^ 



GARDENING FOE WOMEN 129 



ADMISSION AND FEES 

TKe fees, which include all expenses except medical 
attendance, fire in bedroom, laundress, books, and small 
charge for loan of microscope and tools, and the extras 
stated below, are, for a cubicle, from £80 a year of three 
terms, study-bedroom from £96 a year of three terms, 
out-students from £40 a year oi three terms, colonial 
students from £16 5s. per term. 

At the examination held in April, 1907, by the Royal 
Horticultural Society, sixteen students from the college 
competed, and secured places among 142 competitors : — 

First class, 8 ; second class, 6 ; third class, 2. 

SCHOLARSHIPS 

The County Councils of Kent, London, Norfolk, and 
Staffordshire offer scholarships at the college to residents 
in their own counties. As the regulations are not identical, 
intending competitors should apply to the secretaries of 
the respective Education Committees for particulars. 
Kent — V. W. Crook, Esq., Kent Education Office, 

Caxton House, Westminster, S.W. 
London. — The Executive Officer, Education Office, 

Victoria Embankment. 
Staffordshire. — Graham Balfour, Esq., County Council 

Offices, Stafford. 
Norfolk. — The Secretary, County Council Education 

Offices, Norwich. 
Since 1892, 410 students have attended the college 
courses. 

Through the kindness of Miss F. R. Wilkinson, 



130 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



I am able to quote the following interesting 
statistics : — 

AFTEE-CAREEES OF STUDENTS 

Landscape gardeners, 3 ; market gardeners, 25 ; 
head gardeners, 26 ; under gardeners, 13 ; working in 
home garden, 49 ; " jobbing " gardeners, 9 ; teaching, 23 ; 
working at science, 5 ; poultry-keeping, 2 ; manageress 
milk depot, 1 ; principals in gardening schools, 2 ; apiarist, 
1 ; at Koyal Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, 2. 

AVEEAGE SALAEIES 

Landscape gardeners, two guineas a week to two guineas 
a day ; head gardeners, highest, £100 a year with rooms, 
light and vegetables ; lowest, £20 a year resident ; under 
gardeners, highest, £80 non-resident ; lowest, 18s. a week, 
cottage and coals ; schools, highest, £65 resident ; lowest, 
£30 resident ; institution, highest, £75 resident ; lowest, 
£20 resident ; jobbing, 4s. to 7s. a day ; companion 
gardener, highest, £100 resident ; lowest, £30 resident. 

NATUEE STUDY 

The following syllabus may be of interest, 
although the course has already taken place (July, 
1907). It will show what an important place Nature 
Study takes in the education of women. 

A course for helping those who are desirous of extending 
their knowledge of Nature Study wiU be held at the 
Horticultural College, Swanley. 

Most of the instruction will be given (weather per- 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 131 



mitting) out of doors, rambles in the country under the 
guidance of experienced teachers being the chief feature. 

Miss Hibbert-Ware (Science Mistress, Queen Margaret's 
School, Scarborough) and Mr. Tabor (Resident Science 
Lecturer) will lead combined excursions for studying birds, 
pond life, insects, wild flowers, trees, grasses, etc., in their 
different environments. 

The college gardens, greenhouses, orchards, farm, and 
fruit-preserving appliances will be in working order, and 
students will be able to obtain an insight into the work 
carried on in each department. Miss M. Agar will give 
demonstrations and instructions in simple gardening, 
and on the care of school gardens. Demonstrations in 
dairying and poultry -keeping will be given by Miss M. 
Dawson (N.D.D. and Certificate Midland Dairy Institute), 
who will explain the chief points of farm operations during 
the year. 

As far as possible the open-air studies will take place 
within easy distance of the college, but excursions will be 
arranged to districts with varying soils and climate, and 
the accompanying variety of natural objects. Students 
having bicycles are advised to bring them. 

It is hoped to combine the natural history excursions 
with points of antiquarian, artistic, and other interest in 
outlying districts, and endeavour will be made to render 
the course useful, both for home life and school work. 

FEES 

(Payable in advance or on arrival) 
For teachers and those training to be teachers, 



132 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



including tuition, board, and lodging, and expenses of 
excursions, £5 5s. ; single room,- extra, 10s. 6d. ; to those 
not engaged in teaching an extra fee will be charged of 
£1 Is. 

STUDIES IN PLANT LIFE AND PLANT GEOGRAPHY 

By E. J. Tabor, F.L.S. (Resident Science Lecturer), and 
M. Wilson, B.Sc. Lond. 

The work of this course will be arranged on the assump- 
tion that most of the students will have had some previous 
training in elementary botany. 

Its objects will be to extend their knowledge of plants 
in the field, and especially of the various plant associations 
and their adaptation to their surroundings. For this 
purpose excursions will be arranged to study the flora 
of woods, ponds and streams, moors and heaths, fresh 
and salt water marshes. 

An explanatory lecture, illustrated with lantern slides, 
will be given on the eve of each excursion, in which the 
special features to be noted in the next day's work will 
be described. 

The special subject for this year's course will be 
" Common British Trees and Shrubs," and on alternate 
days laboratory work will be provided, in order that 
students may become familiar with the distinguishing 
characters of their leaves, twigs, buds, etc., to enable 
them to identify these plants in summer and winter. 

Facilities will be provided for making collections of 
common plants for subsequent reference. Students are 
recommended to bring a flora and a vasculum; 



GAKDENING FOR WOMEN 133 



If time permits, a demonstration will be given towards 
tlie end of tlie course on the arrangement and carrying out 
of simple experiments in plant physiology.; 

STUDIES IN POND LIFE, INSECTS AND BIRDS, GEOLOGY 
AND ASTRONOMY 

By Miss Hibbert-Ware (Science Mistress at Queen 
Margaret's School, Scarborough) 

Pond Life. — The management of aquaria. The life- 
history, breathing, adaptations, etc., of the various aquatic 
creatures obtained on the excursions. 

Insect Life. — Some garden friends and foes {e.g., lady- 
bird, cockchafer). 

Birds. — The habits and call notes of common British 
birds so far as they can be studied during August. Oppor- 
tunity will be given to students of learning to identify 
the birds from museum specimens, and also of preparing 
the skins of birds and small mammals for class use. 

Geology. — The origin, composition, and history of some 
common rocks and fossils, especially those observed and 
collected on the excursions. 

Aslronomy. — The subjects of four of the evening lectures 
will be : 1. The solar system ; 2 and 3. The starry heavens ; 
4. The earth as a member of the solar system. 

A part of these lectures will be held out-of-doors. 

N.B. — Students are recommended to bring note-books 
containing both blank and lined pages and paint boxes. 

GARDEN lectures AND DEMONSTRATIONS 

By Miss M. Agar (College Diploma, Landscape Gardener 
to the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association) 



134 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



Sowing Seeds. — Seed-bed, temperature, moisture, depth 
of sowing, vitality of seed, pricking out seedlings — 
potting on; 

Pro'pagation hy Cuttings,— ^ odes, intemodes, growing 
points, callus, formation of roots — potting on. 

(Sufplementary : Propagation by leaves, roots, " ring- 
ing stems.") 

Budding, — Scion, stocks, time for budding. 

Pruning. — Fruit trees, bush fruits, roses. 

Demonstrations will be given in the grounds with the 
exception of pruning, for which the time of the year is 
unsuitable. 

The last published report of the Swanley 
College will be found of interest. 

REPORT : DECEMBER 31ST, 1906 

During the past year giSLtiiymg progress can be reported 
in each depaitment of the college work. The value to 
women of systematic training in the various branches of 
horticulture is becoming more and more widely recognised 
from both the utilitarian and educational standpoints. 
It opens the door to attractive and remunerative employ- 
ment in many directions, while it serves as an admirable 
complement to the mental training of the High School or 
the University. No one doubts that healthy occupation 
in the open air for a couple of years or so goes far towards 
counteracting the morbid tendencies which occasionally 
result from exclusive attention to hterary studies, and 
promotes moral no less than physical development. That 
the advantages offered by Swanley in this respect are 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 135 



appreciated is evidenced by the number of students who 
attend solely to cultivate those faculties for which the 
ordinary school or college makes no provision, and to 
acquire a knowledge of natural and physical phenomena 
that will prove of increasing interest throughout their 
lives.- 

For those destined for a professional career, whether 
as teachers or gardeners, the opportunities are daily increas- 
ing. The growth of gardens, as instruments of education, 
in connection with elementary and secondary schools 
within the past two or three years has been remarkable. 
The number of elementary school gardens has risen from 
379 in 1903 to 570 m 1905 accordmg to the last report of 
the Board of Education. In 1906 there was a very consider- 
able advance, but the exact figures have not yet been 
issued, nor are any statiscics available in regard to secondary 
schools. The great difficulty in every county is the scarcity 
of teachers qualified to undertake gardening and general 
nature -study. For these duties the training at Swanley 
affords an excellent preparation. Lord Onslow, when, 
as President of the Board of Agriculture, he distributed 
the prizes in July, 1904, particularly emphasised this point. 
A student who has followed the complete course may obtain 
a position as gardening or nature-study mistress at a 
secondary school, or as a peripatetic teacher of those 
subjects for a group of elementary day schools. With the 
object of assisting those already engaged in such tuition 
as well as those who contemplate a similar appointment, 
the college now provides a Special Third-year Course in 
natural history. 



136 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



The demand for well-trained gardeners, capable of 
acting as the head and assuming the responsibiUty for 
a large private garden, exceeds the supply. Applications 
have agam and again to be refused. These posts are 
desirable in themselves, and furnish infinite scope for 
the exercise of individual taste and skill. We are glad 
to note that the salaries offered are somewhat higher 
than formerly, but they are still often insufficient to attract 
the best and most promising students. 

f STUDLEY HORTICULTURAL COLLEGE, STUDLEY, 
' WARWICKSHIRE 

Founder : The Countess of Warwick 

Warden : Miss Mabel G. Faithfull 

STAFF OF INSTRUCTORS 

Horticulture, Mr. W. Iggulden, F.R.H.S., and Mr. W. 
Sarsons ; Botany, Mr. W. B. Groves, M.A. (Cantab) ; 
Poultry, Mr. George A. Palmer ; Dairy Farming and 
Agriculture, Dairy Instructress, Miss K. A. Baynes, N.D.D., 
B.D.F.A., Diploma ; Book-keeping and Business Training, 
U Mr. a. E. M. Long (Chartered Accountant) ; Apiculture, 
Mr. W. Herrod, F.E.S. ; Fruit Bottling and Jam Making, 
Miss Cran ; Cooking Lessons, Miss Faithfull. 

Studley Castle is situated about two and a half miles 
from Studley Station (Midland Railway) on a branch Hne 
between Birmingham and Evesham. 

Students may enter for a course of instruction in any 
of the following groups :— 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 137 

[a) Horticulture and Bee-keeping. — Certificate course 
two years ; diploma course three years. 

(&) Dairy Work, Poultry and Bee-keeping. — Gerti- 
ficate course one year * diploma course two 
years. 

The Session (year) is of 40 weeks' duration, and consists 
of three terms of about thirteen weeks each, beginning 
respectively in September, January, and May. Students 
are advised to enter at the commencement of the session, 
in September, although they can be admitted at any 
time. 

An examination in each group is held at the end of every 
term. A final examination is held at the end of the session 
(July), and Studley College certificates and diplomas are 
awarded to successful candidates who have completed 
their full course. 

Short courses of instruction lasting either six or ten 
weeks are held at the college, the subjects taught being 
in accordance with the work done in each department at 
the particular time of year. 

Studley College grants diplomas and certificates to those 
students who have completed their training, ana who have 
passed the necessary examinations. It is believed that 
these diplomas and certificates will have a distinct value 
in the educational and business world, as being the dis- 
tinctions awarded to skilled and practical workers. 

The arrangements for the horticultural sections are as 
follow : — 

Certificate in horticulture, both practical and theoretical, 
will be granted after two years' training ; it will include 



138 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



horticulture, botany, soils and manures, entomology, and 
book-keeping. The diploma in horticulture will only be 
granted after three years' training. 

SCHEME OF WORK 

1. — Students may prepare for either or both the ex- 
aminations of the Koyal Horticultural Society and Studley 
College certificate and diploma. 

(a) The Royal Horticultural Society. — ^This examina- 
tion is held in April or May, and includes : — 
The Elementary Frincifles on which Horticultural 
practice is based : (1) Soils ; (2) Requirements 
of growth — ^water, heat, air ; (3) Seeds ; (4) 
Roots ; (5) Stems and Branches ; (6) Leaves ; 
(7) Tubers and Bulbs ; (8) Growth and Develop- 
ment ; (9) Flowers; (10) Fruit; (11) Seed; (12) 
Variation and Selection ; (13) Names and Orders 
of Common Garden Plants, Trees, etc. 
Horticultural Operations and Practice. — (1) Ele- 
ments of Surveying and Landscape Gardening ; 
(2) Choice of Site for Garden ; (3) Description 
and use of Implements ; (4) Operations con- 
nected with the Cultivation of the Land ; (5) 
Propagation ; (6) Fruit Culture ; (7) Vegetable 
Culture; (8) Flower Culture; (9) Manures; 
(10) Hybridisation and Selection ; (11) Arbori- 
culture ; (12) Insect and Fungus Pests. 
Practical Work. — This includes the care of lawns 
(mowing and rolling), paths and beds ; weeding, potting ; 
planting and propagating flowers and vegetables ; mixing 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 139 



soils ; seed sowing. Work in kitchen and flower gardens, 
shrubberies, greenhouses, frames, and hot beds. Budding, 
grafting, pruning, and planting. Rotation of crops. 
Orchard work. Cultivation of tomatoes, cucumbers, and 
melons. Planting of herbaceous borders. Classification 
of plants, fertilisation. Diseases of plants. Labelling 
plants and seeds. Table decorations, wreath and bouquet 
making. 

Bee-keejnng. — Students are prepared for the 1st, 2nd, 
and 3rd Class Experts' Examination of the British Bee- 
keepers' Association and are fully instructea in apiculture, 
both in theory and practice. 

Fruit hottiviig and preserving. — Course of instruction in 
fruit bottling and preserving, jam making, etc., will be 
hela during the fruit season (June to October). Students 
can join for two weeks at a time or longer. Fee, including 
board and residence, £'5 5s. for two weeks. 

Marketing department and business training. — Students, 
on the completion of their full course, may take a course 
for three months in the marketing department, at the 
usual fees. This will enable them to obtain a knowledge 
of this important branch, which it is impossible for them 
to get during their regular period of training. Students 
may enter for this branch alone if desired. 

The course includes Business methods ; the markets, 
and methods of buying and selling goods ; packing ; rail- 
way rates, etc. 

Manual training. — Instruction in manual training and 
woodwork is given by the college carpenter, and includes : — 
Tools, their names and uses, proper methods of using and 



140 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



sharpening ; simple joints, etc. Construction of portable 
poultry-house and appliances ; beehives and appliances, 
garden appliances, and various articles of general utility. 

FEES 

All fees are required to be paid terminally in advance, 
i.e., on or before the first day of each term. A full term's 
notice in writing must be given to the Warden before the 
removal of any student from the college ; in default of 
which notice payment of the term's fees will be required. 
Notice of removal received after a term has begun will 
take effect at the end of the term next ensuing. 

Short courses : — Students may enter for these at any 
time when they are arranged. 

All fees must be paid in advance. In no cases can 
fees be returned. 

RESIDENT STUDENTS 

Full training, with board and residence at the college, 
in horticulture, or dairy and poultry work : cubicle, £80 a 
3?ear ; study-bedroom, £100 and £120 a year. Short courses 
for ten weeks : cubicle, £25 ; study -bedroom, £30. Short 
courses for six weeks : cubicle, £15 ; study-bedroom, £18. 
Bee-keeping is optional, and may be combined with either 
of the above courses, an additional fee of £5 5s. a year, 
or £2 2s. a term, being charged. Fruit bottling and pre- 
serving : — Two weeks' course, including board and residence, 
£5 5s. Manual training and carpentering, £3 3s. a year, 
or £1 10s. a term. Cooking lessons, £1 5s. a term. Extra 
charges : Use of microscopes, 5s. a year ; use of gardening 
tools, 5s. a year ; use of carpentering tools, 5s. a year, 



GARDENING FOE WOMEN 141 



NON-EESIDENT STUDENTS 

Non-resident students can be received at the college 
under certain conditions. Fees for instruction in each 
department, 25s. a week, or £13 6s. 8d. per term. 

Candidates for admission to the college are requested to 
write to the Warden for full particulars and admission form, 
which must be filled in with the name, age, and experience 
of the intending student, the particular course of study 
which she wishes to follow, and her ultimate object in 
seeking instruction. (These admission forms will be 
regarded as strictly confidential. After receiving notifica- 
tion that her application has been accepted, the intending 
student will be liable for a term's fees.) 

The Warden of the college prefers to interview in- 
tending students previous to admission whenever possible. 

The college is open to visitors, but they are asked to 
make an appointment beforehand. The best route is 
from Euston, 9.20, reaching Birmingham 11.30; train 
for Studley, 12 o'clock, from same station ; returning 
from Studley, 4.38, and Birmingham, 7 o'clock. Studley 
can also be reached from Paddington, G.W.R., via 
Evesham. Students must be in residence at the college 
on the day previous to the commencement of a term. 

ROYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY OF LONDON PEACTICAL 
GARDENING SCHOOL FOR LADIES 

Held in the Society's Gardens, Regent's Park, 
and officially recognised by the Technical Education 
Board of the London County Council. 



142 GARDENING FOE WOMEN 



The course of instruction extends over three years, 
and commences on October 1st. 

SUBJECTS : FIRST YEAR 

Outdoor Work. — Ground operations, implements used ; 
levelling with horning rods ; draining ; formation of paths, 
beds, and lawns ; trenching, digging and hoeing ; prepara- 
tion for planting, etc. ; care of lawns — mowing with 
machine, sweeping, weeding, and rolling ; flower 
gardening — ^herbaceous borders, pricking off, planting ; 
staking, tying and watering ; vegetable and fruit garden — 
double digging, manuring ; preparation of seed beds ; 
aerating the soil. 

Indoor Work. — Cleaning and crocking pots ; materials 
required for composts ; potting, watering, cleaning, 
staking, tying and top-dressing plants ; propagation by 
cuttings, as geraniums, etc. ; pricking off seedlings. 

SECOND YEAR 

Outdoor Work. — Preparing and storing manure, methods 
of application ; care of lawns, flower and kitchen garden, 
shrubbery, fernery, etc. ; sowing vegetable and flower seeds, 
and planting tubers ; growing vegetables, flowers and 
fruits ; outdoor tomato culture. 

Indoor Work. — Horticultural buildings, repairing, 
painting and glazing ; propagation by division of roots, 
stems, and tubers ; forcing and retarding ; insects and 
fungoid pests ; methods of extermination ; melon, 
cucumber and tomato culture. 

Theoretical Work. — Suitable manures for various soils ; 
principles of hot-water heating. 



GARDENING FOE WOMEN 143 



THIRD YEAR 

Pruning trees and shrubs ; mowing with scythe ; 
special classes of plants ; hybridisation and selection ; 
care of conservatory, plant houses, frames and pits ; 
sprajring plants ; mushroom culture ; vine and fig culture ; 
budding and grafting ; labelling. 

Theoretical Work. — Keeping garden accounts, stock 
books, stores, etc. ; purchase of pots, gravel, sand, peat, 
manure, etc. ; elementary meteorology ; theory of land- 
scape gardening ; plant parasites ; sprays and washes 
for insect pests ; classes and laboratory work in botany 
and horticultural chemistry. 

The society undertakes that each pupil shall be given 
opportunities for studying and practising each of the above 
subjects, but it cannot guarantee that in every case the 
order of the above list will be aahered to. 

FEES FOR THE ABOVE COURSE 

First year, £20 ; second } ear, £15 ; third year, £10. 
Floral decoration is £1. Is. per annum. 

A year's course in gardening is given to ladies who 
possess gardens in the country. Early application should 
be made to the superintendent, Mrs. J. Bryant Sowerby, 
Botanic Gardens, Kegent's Park. 



Amongst the rules I see that pupils must attend at 
the gardens at 9.30 a.m. in summer, and 10 a.m. in winter, 
and are allowed an interval of one hour and a half (12.30 
to 2) in the middle of the day. 

Six students having passed out of the Royal Botanic 



144 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



Gardens are working their own gardens. Two have 
started as market gardeners. Several are working as 
jobbing gardeners and companion gardeners. 

THE EDINBURGH SCHOOL OF GARDENING FOR WOMEN, 
CORSTORPHINE, EDINBURGH 

Miss Barker and Miss Morison, 
Diplomees of Swanley Horticultural College ; Certificated 
Gardeners, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh 

The objects of this school are to prepare women for 
the various branches of practical professional gardening — 
to fit them for managing a market garden, or for taking 
charge of private gardens — and to give instruction to 
those who wish to devote themselves with intelligence to 
gardening as a private interest. 

Situation. — ^The gardens are situated on the south 
slope of Corstorphine Hill, in a charming district just 
beyond the suburbs of Edinburgh. They are within two 
miles of the west end of the city, within three minutes' 
walk of the 'bus service, and within seven minutes' walk 
of Corstorphine railway station. The position is eminently 
suitable both for gardening and for residence. 

Grounds. — ^Part of the garden is devoted to growing 
for market, and students are taught how to work a market 
garden through all its stages — from the preparation of 
the ground and sowing the seeds to the packing of the 
produce for the market. In this department is included 
the growing of stuff under glass, such as tomatoes, cucum- 
bers, flowers, etc. Another department deals with the 
requirements of good private gardens, and includes a 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 145 



vinery, peach-house, mushroom-house, rose garden, her- 
baceous border, and kitchen garden. 

Practical Instruction. — ^The practical instruction includes 
all the details of actual work, such as hoeing, digging, care 
of glass-houses, propagation of plants by seeds, cuttings, 
etc. ; planting-out, thinning, potting, pruning, gathering, 
and packing. Demonstrations, in which the students take 
a practical part, are given by experts in bee-keeping and 
floral decoration, including bouquet-making, sprays and 
button-holes, table decoration, and wreaths. 

Theoretical Instruction. — ^All intelligent practical work 
must include a certain amount of theoretical instruction in 
order to explain the reasons for the various operations 
necessary. At the same time a more formal and exact 
study of the sciences underlying the practice of gardening 
is necessary, and in order to obtain this the students 
attend certain classes at the Edinburgh and East of Scotland 
College of Agriculture. Students are prepared for the 
Royal Horticultural Society's Examination. 

The Curriculum. — ^The full curriculum extends over 
two years. Shorter courses may be arranged for those 
who wish to study with a view to private instruction 
only, and do not propose to follow gardening as a 
profession. 

The Diploma. — ^Every care is taken in the arrangements 
for practical instruction, lectures and examinations, to 
ensure that the diploma shall be a reliable guarantee of 
thorough efficiency in the theory and practice of gardening. 
It will be granted only to students who have taken part in 
the regular practical work of the school for two years, 

K 



146 GARDENING FOE WOMEN 



and have passed satisfactorily examinations in the follow- 
ing subjects :- 

Horticulture (Royal Horticultural Society's Examina- 
tion), practical horticulture, botany, agricultural chemistry, 
book-keeping. 

Boarding arrangements. — ^Both resident and non-resident 
students are received. Resident students live with the 
principals, Miss Barker and Miss Morison. Two references 
are required from each student. 

Terms. — ^The session is divided into three terms, begin- 
ning respectively in May, October, and January. Students 
are advised to begin either in May or in October. 

Fees. — ^Resident students, £70 a year ; resident students, 
with separate bedroom, £86 ; non-resident students, with 
dinner and tea, £40. Fees are payable at the beginning 
of each term. A term's notice is required before a student 
leaves, otherwise the fee for the term will be charged. 

Examiner in Practica^ Horticulture — Mr. Berry, East 
of Scotland College of Agriculture. 

CLASSES TAKEN AT THE EDINBURGH AND EAST OF 
SCOTLAND COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE 

Horticulture, Mr. G. P. Berry. Agricultural Chemistry, 
A. Lauder, D.Sc. Agricultural Natural History, R. S. 
MacDougall, M.A., D.Sc, F.R.S.E. 

CLASS TAKEN AT THE HERIOT-WATT COLLEGE 

Botany (Advanced and Elementary), R. S. MacDougall, 
M.A., D.Sc, F.R.S.E. 

The Year's Work 
: The following sketch calendar of the actual work shared 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 147 



in by the students month by month may be of service to 
those who have little practical acquaintance with gardening. 
No sketch of this kind can show all the details of daily work, 
and the separation into months is merely for convenience, 
as in almost every case the work of one month overlaps 
with that of another. Certain operations, such as hoeing 
and weeding, extend throughout the greater part of the 
year ; plants under glass require daily attention, and, in 
addition, there is the specialised culture required by special 
classes of plants — vines, peaches, tomatoes, etc. — ^which 
is not indicated in this calendar : — 

January. — ^In this month there is much important 
work to be done under glass and in the forcing-houses: 
Seeds are sown almost daily — ^flower seeds, such as annual 
carnations, petunias, antirrhinums, etc. ; and vegetables, 
such as lettuce, leeks, onions, cauhflowers, cucumbers, 
tomatoes, etc. There are also the gathering and packing 
of forced flowers and rhubarb, and the forcing of these 
and other plants. When possible, seed-beds are prepared 
in the open. 

February. — ^Much of January's work is continued this 
month. Seed-sowing goes on, some of it in the open: 
Plants sown in January have to be potted and pricked 
out in pans and boxes. Watering, heating, and ventilation 
in the various glass-houses require great attention. The 
taking of chrysanthemum cuttings is continued from last 
month. 

March. — ^This is perhaps the busiest month of the garden 
year. The preparation of seed-beds and the cleaning of 
the ground must be completed, as well as the sowing of 



148 GARDENING FOE WOMEN 



almost every vegetable that is in the garden, of hardy 
annual flowers in the open, and of half-hardy annuals in 
frames. Strawberries are planted, young tomatoes potted 
on, cucumbers attended to, and more seed sown for late 
crops. Rooted chrysanthemum cuttings have to be potted on. 

April. — ^Much time this month must be devoted to 
seedlings to prevent overcrowding and weakening. Cauli- 
flowers are planted out, and vegetable marrows sown in 
pots for planting out later. More sowings of vegetables 
and of hardy annuals are made, and half-hardy annuals are 
hardened-ofl previous to planting in the open. 

May. — ^In this month sowings are repeated of all 
vegetables required for succession. Celery plants are 
pricked out and trenches prepared. Cabbages are planted 
out ; runner beans are sown ; weeding and hoeing go on 
constantly. 

June. — ^The gathering, bunching, and packing of cut 
flowers form an important part of this month's work. 
Celery is put in trenches ; mushroom-beds are prepared. 
Much attention is required by tomatoes and cucumbers. 

Ju!y. — ^Flowers for cutting are now more plentiful, and, 
in addition, the smaller fruits have to be gathered and 
packed for market. Carnations have to be layered, and 
strawberry runners pegged down. Broccoli and cabbage 
are planted out ; biennial and perennial flowers may still 
be sown. 

August and September . — These months are the school 
holidays. The chief work in the garden is the continued 
gathering and packing of fruit and flowers, and keeping 
the ground clean. 



GAKDENING FOE WOMEN 149 



October. — Bulbs are potted to be forced when well 
rooted ; wallflower is transplanted to its blooming quarters ; 
clirysantlxemums are brought in, and celery is earthed up. 
Vacant plots of ground can be made ready for winter by 
digging and manuring. 

November. — Some bulbs can be planted out in the open ; 
plants ready for forcing are brought in. Cucumbers for 
an early crop are sown now, and mustard and cress are 
sown weekly. The glass and brickwork of the houses are 
thoroughly cleaned. When weather permits, the pruning 
of fruit-trees and bushes is carried on in this and the other 
winter months. Chrysanthemums are bunched and packed 
for market. 

December. — ^Rhubarb is brought in for forcing ; vines 
are pruned, and peach-trees trained. 

In bad weather, work is carried on in the glass-houses 
or the potting-shed, or the time is allowed for study. 

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, GLASNEVIN, DUBLIN, 
IRELAND 

F. W. Moore, Esq., Director of the above gardens, is kind 
enough to admit two ladies as students in horticulture. 
No fees are charged, and there is no remuneration of any 
sort given. There is no syllabus, as the students work 
under the immediate direction of Mr. Moore. They obtain 
a thorough knowledge of general garden practice. Cross 
pollination, collecting seeds, fruit pruning, and all kinds 
of work, both indoors and out-of-doors, is taught. It is 
not possible to obtain a more general gardening experience 
than is given here. All lectures are free. The places are 



150 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



usuaily taken some years in advance. The first two ladies 
came on July 1, 1898, and eighteen in all have passed 
through up to 1907. Of these, the following are at present 
actively employed as follows : — 

Lucy Douglas, County Council Instructor in Horticul- 
ture, Co. Cavan ; Jane Langley, gardening, laying out 
gardens, giving advice, good employment in Co. Waterf ord ; 
Katherine Kinnear, market and nursery gardening in 
Scotland ; Rose Pollock, private secretary and assistant 
to F. W. Moore, Esq., Botanic Gardens, Dublin ; Jean 
Rogers, working as head gardener ; Christina Carlyon, 
instructor in horticultural college in South Africa ; Jane 
Garner, working her own garden, and botanical and horti- 
cultural teacher in Dublin ; Emmeline Crocker, head 
gardener over a large garden in Cornwall ; May Crosbie, 
working her own garden. The students can obtain com- 
fortable and cheap rooms in Dublin, in order to attend 
daily at the gardens. 



The London County Council has organised classes for 
gardeners, which ladies may attend at 

THE LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL NORWOOD TECHNICAL 
INSTITUTE, KNIGHT'S HILL, WEST NORWOOD 

The following are the syllabuses : 

BOTANY (theoretical AND PRACTICAL), 5s. PER COURSE 

Stage I. — (Elementary) : Fridays, 9 — 10 ; Practical Class, 
7.30—9. Stage II. (Advanced) : Fridays, 6.30—7.30 ; 
Practical Clas6, 7.30—9 



GAKDENING FOR WOMEN 151 



Lecturer : Miss Eva Whitley, B.Sc. 

Stage I. (Covering the London Matriculation Syllabus) 

Elementary. — ^The study of the typical flowering plant ; 
the form and function of the plant organs and the variations 
which adapt them to special conditions ; the inflorescence ; 
the pollination and fertilisation of flowers, fruits and seeds ; 
germination ; the nutrition, respiration and growth of 
plants ; the movements exhibited by plants ; the out- 
lines of the cellular structure of plants ; elements of plant 
classification, with special reference to some of the more 
important British natural orders. 

Stage II. (Covering the Inter-Science Syllabus) 

Advanced. — More advanced work in the subjects taken 
in the elementary course. Study of typical members of 
the larger sub-divisions of the plant world (pinus, picra, 
selaginella, aspidium, funaria, pellia, fucus, spirogyra, 
haematococcus, agaricus, eurotium, puccinia, parmelia, 
collema, pythium, mucor, saccharomyces), and of 
additional natural orders to those taken in Stage I. ; 
plant oecology. 

In the practical class specimens are examined and 
described, microscopic preparations made, and a few of 
the simpler experiments illustrative of physiological 
processes are carried out. 

Two or three museum visits are arranged during the 
session. These classes should prove useful and interest- 
ing to those engaged in horticulture and the allied 
callings. 



152 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



GARDENING, 2s. 6d. PER COURSE 

Lecturer : Chas. H. Curtis, F.B.H.S. 
Tuesdays, 7.45 — 9.15 

SYLLABUS 

Introduction. — ^Need for better methods. How to plant. 

Soils. — Kinds and values. Cultivation and improve- 
ment. Manures and their value for certain crops and 
soils. Propagation. Seeds and seedHngs. Cuttings and 
layers. Budding and grafting. Spring -flowering bulbs. 
Selections. 

Planting and potting. — Chrysanthemums for garden and 
greenhouses. 

Small fruits. — ^Varieties for town and suburban gardens. 
Pruning and training. Choice fruits ; peaches, nectarines, 
figs, grapes and melons. 

Beautiful trees and shrubs. — ^Flowering, deciduous and 
evergreen. Rock, wall, and water gardening. 

Lawns and walks. Fences and screens. Edgings. 
Window, balcony, and home gardening. Garden design 
and improvement. The use and abuse of garden tools. 
Herbaceous borders. Selections and times of flowering. 
Summer bedding plants and flowers. Autumn flowers. 
Conservatory and greenhouse. Annual and biennial 
plants. Roses for summer and autumn. 

Vegetable culture. — Root crops. Onions, leeks, and 
shallots. Cauliflowers, winter greenstufls. Salads. Peas 
for small gardens, beans, marrows, tomatoes. Asparagus, 
seakale, mushrooms. Forcing. 

The syllabus is subject to alteration to meet the needs 
of the class. Each lecture will be illustrated by specimens, 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 153 



demonstration, blackboard diagrams, etc. Several outings 
and daylight demonstrations will be arranged during the 
session. 

Ladies may attend the following courses arranged by 
the London County Coimcil at 

BROWNHILL EOAD EVENING SCIENCE, ART, ETC., 
COMMERCIAL CENTRE, CATFORD, S.E. 

Five shillings the session is charged to students over 
sixteen, and 2s. 6d. to those under sixteen, for one or more 
subjects, including science and ait. 

BIOLOGY AND NATURE STUDY 

Instructor : Mr. G. Alford 
In the first stage, students will investigate the external 
features, general structure, mode of life, surroundings, 
life-history, and habits of flowering plants, yeast, frog, 
amoeba, etc: 

In the second stage the subjects of the elementary 
class will be studied more fully, together with the earth- 
worm, crayfish, dogfish, pine, fern, selaginella. 

The practical work will deal with nutrition, respiration, 
etc., including dissection and the microscopic examination 
of the smaller organisms. 

horticulture 
Instructor: Mr. E. H. Smith 
This course of lectures is arranged specially for those 
who take an interest in gardening. 

The syllabus of instruction deals with : the cultivation 



154 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



of vegetables, hardy fruit, etc. ; the management of the 
orchard house, flower garden, flowers under glass, seed 
growing, propagation, etc. 



Ladies may attend the courses offered by the London 
County Council at 

BLOOMFIELD ROAD EVENING COMMERCIAL AND 
SCIENCE AND ART CENTRE, PLUMSTEAD 

Five shillings the session for one or more subjects, 
including science and art, for students over sixteen. For 
those under sixteen, 2s. 6d. per session for one or more 
subjects. 

BOTANY — STAGES I. AND II. 

Instructor : Mr. W. P. Bolas 

The lectures will cover but not be confined to the 
syllabus of the Board of Education. Every assistance 
will be given to those engaged in the teaching of Nature 
study. Practical work with experiments forms a special 
feature of the course. Formation of collections of dried 
specimens of leaves, fruits, seeds, etc. Special study of 
British wild flowers. Occasional botanical rambles and 
visits to places of botanical interest. 
Text Books : — Stage I. — Oliver's " Elementary Botany." 

Stage II. — ^Lowson's " Second Stage Botany." 

HORTICULTURE 

Stage I. — ^This stage provides an elementary course 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 155 



on the science of plant life and soil, and will be taught 
chiefly by experiment and observation. 

Plant life. — Seeds. Roots. Leaves structure, trans- 
piration, formation of starch. Stems. Buds. Flowers. 
Fruits. Seeds. Annuals, biennials, bulbs, tubers, per- 
ennials. 

The soil. — ^Plant food. Origin and composition of 
soils. How plants appropriate food from the soil. 

Stage II. — SoU and situation. — Conditions which render 
land suitable to particular forms of horticulture. Market 
gardening. Hardy fruit growing. Nursery stock. Cul- 
tivation under glass. Proximity to markets or stations. 
Cost of labour and manure. Conditions of tenure. 

Arrangements. — ^Design of a garden to suit particular 
purposes. Shelter hedges and wind breaks. Water supply. 
Roadways and paths. 

Tillage. — ^The various operations and tools required. 
Drainage. The amelioration of the soil by liming, claying, 
the incorporation of lightening materials on clay soils. 

Composts and manures. — ^Loam, peat, leaf mould, 
farmyard manure, liquid manure, artificial manures. 

Vegetables. — ^The cultivation of the standard vegetables 
in the open air (1) for show, (2) for private consumption, 
(3) for market work. Preparation of land, time of sowing, 
manures, management, insect pests, harvesting and storing 
of each crop. The character of the leading varieties of 
the cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, 
etc., celery, turnips, beet, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, 
onions, peas and beans, asparagus and seakale, tomatoes 
in the open air. Succession of crops. Forcing. Growth 



156 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



of tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, etc., under glass. Mush- 
rooms under glass and in sheds. 

Hardy fruit. — ^Preparation of the land, planting, pruning 
and root management, manures. Spraying. Leading 
varieties of strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries, currants, 
apples, plums, pears and cherries, filberts and other nuts. 
Renovation of old fruit trees. 

Orchard house. — Peaches, nectarines, figs, apricots, 
cherries, etc. Insect pests, etc. 

The flower garden. — ^Hardy and half-hardy annuals. 
Bedding out. The herbaceous border. The rock garden 
and hardy fernery. Management of roses, etc., for show. 

Flowers under glass. — ^Azaleas, ericas, etc., lily of the 
valley, etc., rose, chrysanthemums, etc. 

Shrubs and trees. — ^Flowering shrubs, etc. 

Seed growing. — Saving and storing seed. Cross fertilisa- 
tion and hybridising. Selection and fixation of new 
varieties. 

Propagation. — ^Division, offsets. Bulbous plants. Soft 
and hard wooded cuttings. Layering. Stocks for fruit 
trees, etc. Grafting and budding. 

Ladies may attend the course of instruction offered 
by the London County Council at 

KILMORIE ROAD EVENING COM]iIERCIAL AND ART 
CENTRE, FOREST HILL, S.E. 

Five shillings fee per session is charged to students 
over sixteen, and 2s. 6d. per session to those under sixteen. 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 157 



HORTICULTURE 

The syllabus of the Royal Horticultural Society will be 

taken 

Elementary principles on which horticultural practice is 
based. — Soils, good and bad ; their mineral composition ; 
chemical nature of fertilisers and their respective values. 
The physiological values of water, heat, and air in plant 
growth. The structure of seeds and their modes of germin- 
ation ; the chemical phenomena of germination ; the 
movements of seedlings and the uses of them. The func- 
tions of roots ; their anatomical structure ; hindrances to 
healthy root-action and their remedies. The uses of stems 
and branches ; the anatomical structure of ordinary 
dicotyledonous and of a monocotyledonous stem. The 
physiological functions of leaves, and the action of light 
upon them. The structure of tubers and other subterranean 
stems ; the structure of bulbs and buds ; the general 
phenomena of vegetative multiplication. The physiological 
processes undergone in growth and development ; the 
structure of an active cell, and the process of cell-division 
and the formation of tissues. The structure of flower-buds 
and of flowers ; the methods of pollination, natural and 
artificial. The process of impregnation of the ovule, and 
the formation of embryo and endosperm. The classifica- 
tion and description of fruits ; the changes and develop- 
ment during ripening. The general characters of the 
commoner families of plants in cultivation. The origin of 
species. 

Horticultural operations and practice. — Elements of 



158 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



surveying and landscape gardening. Choice of site for 
garden. Description and use of implements under each 
head. Operations connected with the cultivation of the 
land, with explanations and illustrations of good and bad 
methods ; digging and trenching ; draining, hoeing, 
stirring the soil, and weeding ; watering ; preparation of 
seed beds ; rolling and raking, sowing, transplanting and 
thinning ; potting, planting ; aspects, positions, and shelter ; 
staking ; earthing and blanching, etc. Propagation, 
elementary principles ; cuttings, buddings and grafting, 
stocks used, layering, division, branch pruning, root 
pruning ; old and young trees and bushes. Training. 
Fruit culture : Open air and under glass ; small fruits ; 
apples and pears ; stone fruits ; gathering and storing ; 
packing and marketing. General knowledge of fruits, and 
selection of varieties. Vegetable culture : tubers and 
roots ; green vegetables ; fruit and seeds ; rotation of 
crops, and selection of varieties. Flower culture, outside 
and under glass. Manures and their application. Im- 
provement of plants by cross-breeding, hybridisation and 
selection. Arboriculture : trees and shrubs and their 
culture. Insect and Fungus pests ; prevention and 
treatment. 

Examination. — Royal Horticultural Society in xipril. 

PARTICULARS REGARDING SCHOOL GARDENS AT SCHOOLS 
MAINTAINED BY THE LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL 

There are at present a number of schools maintained 
by the Council where gardens exist. As a rule these 
gardens are kept in condition by the caretaker or by the 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 159 



teacliers and pupils. In such cases it is the practice to 
allow an annual expenditure in respect of the garden, the 
amount varying from 10s. to £2. In one case, namely, 
Bailey's Lane Mixed School, South Tottenham, an annual 
expenditure of £3 3s. is allowed, but at this school cottage 
gardening is tak^n as a grant -earning subject, the Head 
Master being recognised as a qualified teacher by the 
Board of Education. 

With this exception the gardens are used for the pur- 
poses of instruction in botany and nature study. 

Special teachers are not engaged for the purpose of 
giving instruction in gardening; 

The Council has at present under consideration the 
general question of the formation and maintenance of 
gardens in certain schools, and it is proposed that all work 
in connection therewith shall be carried out by a staff of 
gardeners employed by the Council, and that the gardens 
shall be utilised for the purpose of instruction of the pupils 
in nature study by the teachers on the staff. 



CHAPTER XV 



CONTINENTAL SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES 
BELGIUM 

I AM told upon good authority that although up to 
the present moment no schools of horticulture have 
been founded for ladies, the Government is contem- 
plating the institution of one. In 1907 six young 
ladies joined the classes of the Government School 
of Horticulture at Ghent. At the Vilvorde Govern- 
ment School of Horticulture three young women 
(foreigners) followed the school training, and one 
of them received a diploma. Quite recently a 
horticultural section has been opened in the Pen- 
sionnat d'Hiverle, and three young ladies have 
joined it. Belgium possesses many ecoles menageres 
agricoles for women, but these are more for agri- 
cultural or farming supervision. 

At the Horticultural Congress held in 1907 at 
St. Crond (in the province of Lunbourg), M. de 
Vuyst read an interesting paper in favour of gar- 
dening instruction for ladies. 

Mademoiselle Rossignon in her admirable private 

160 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 161 



school for girls at 86, Rue Gachard, Avenue Louise, 
Brussels, has organised classes where gardening is taught: 
Here, each girl has the management of a plot of ground, 
and elementary landscape gardening from simple designs 
is shown. Besides being taught the use to which land can 
be put for the cultivation of vegetables, fruit and flowers, 
students can learn preserving and cooking fruits and 
vegetables. 

DENMARK 

I have received the following report from the National 
Council of Women of Denmark, Copenhagen. There are 
in Denmark no horticultural colleges for women only. 
But the colleges and schools admit women, and usually 
on the same conditions as men. 

I. — DEN KONGELIGE VETERINOE AND LAND BOHOJSKOLE 

(Ttie Royal Veterinary and Agricultural College), 
Copenhagen 

(PubHc State Institution), has also a division for horticul- 
ture. The training is chiefly theoretical, and does not 
include practical gardening, which must be learned else- 
where. The course lasts for two years (of two terms each), 
and leads up to a state examination ; the candidate who 
successfully passes this has the title of " havebrugs- 
kandidat." 

Certain entrance qualifications are required. The 
entrance fee is 10 kr.,* the fee per term (two terms a year), 
about 50 kr. ; the examination fees. Part I., 15 kr. ; Part 

II. , 25 kr. Scholarships may be obtained. The college 

* One krone = ls."l|d. 

L 



162 GARDENING FOR AVOMEN 



is not residential, and tlie students are not subject to 
any iniles out of school hours. Women are admitted on 
exactly the same terms as men, but very few have hitherto 
graduated — only one before 1894, and six after that time. 

The instruction is partly oral, partly in writing, partly 
work in the laboratories. Botanical excursions are held 
nearly every week in the spring and autumn. Practical 
training in surveying and levelling is given in July of the 
first year's course. 

SYLLABUS : LECTURES, CLASSES, PRACTICAL WORK, AND 
DEMONSTRATION 

First Year's Course 

Lessons per week. 
First Second 
term. term. 



Mechanical physics and optics ... 3 2 

Chemical physics ..... 2 2 

Meteorology ......21 

Chemistry ...... 4 4 

Geology and knowledge of soils ... 4 4 

Botany ....... 4 4 

General horticulture 2 2 

Laying out of gardens and cultivation of 

ornamental plants . . . .21 

Horticultural zoology .... 1 1 

Practical chemistry ..... 9 9 

Surveying (Oct. 1st to May 15th) . 4 2 

Drawing ... ... 6 6 



Second Yearns Course 
General horticulture ..... 3 2 



GARDENING FOE WOMEN 163 



Lessons per week. 
First Second 
term. term. 



Cultivation of vegetables . 
Orchard and nursery gardening . 
Laying out of gardens and cultivation 

ornamental plants 
Forcing of useful plants 
Horticultural botany 
Pathology of plants . 
Horticultural zoology 
Agricultural chemistry 
Comparing of garden plans 
Practical horticulture 



of 



THE EXAMINATIONS COMPRISE I — 

Part I. [after the first yearns course) 
Physics and meteorology, oral ; chemistry, oral, 
practical and written ; knowledge of soils, oral ; botany, 
oral ; surveying and levelling, practical drawing. 

Part II. (after the second year'^s course) 
{No one is admitted to Part II. who has not passed satis- 
factorily in Part I.) 
General horticulture, oral and written ; cultivation of 
vegetables, oral and written ; orchard and nursery garden- 
ing, oral and written ; laying out of gardens, etc., oral and 
written ; forcing of useful plants, oral ; horticultural 
botany, oral ; pathology of plants, oral ; horticultural 
zoology, oral ; agricultural chemistry, practical and 
written ; composing of garden plans; 



164 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



II.— HAVEBRUGSHOJSKOLEN "VILVOEDE" PE. CHAELOT- 
TENLUND, NEAE COPENHAGEN 

This is a residential scliool for gardeners, both, men and 
women. A full course is of two or two-and-a-half years, 
comprising both practical and theoretical training. The 
preferable age for students is from eighteen to twenty. 
To be admitted the student must have been occupied 
with gardening for two years. If there is room students 
without this qualification may be admitted, but these 
must stay three years at the school. 

In the summer theory is studied from 6 till 10 a.m., 
practical work, 10.30 a.m. till 5.30 p.m. ; in the winter, 
theory is fronx 2 till 6 p.m., practical work, 7.30 a.m. till 
1 p.m. 

The examinations are controlled by the Education 
Department. They are both theoretical and practical. 

Eight women have been trained during the three years 
since this examination was instituted. The school itself 
is more than twenty-five years old. 

The fees for board, lodging, and instruction are on 
an average 35 kroner per month for the first year, and 
32 kroner per month for the second year. 

III.— THE EOYAL GAEDENS AT ROSENBOEG CASTLE, 
COPENHAGEN 

Both men and women pupils are received, for a two 
years' course. The training is chiefly practical. Theoretical 
instruction is given during winter in two lessons of two 
hours each a week in the mornings, and three lessons of 
two hour each in the afternoons. In summer there are 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 165 



some lessons in botany. During their training men 
get 10 kr. a month, the first year, 24. kr. the second. Women 
get nothing the first year, 10 kr. a month the second, 
but then they have not exactly the same work. 

A practical examination can be entered for after 
five years' practical gardening : sometimes old students 
come back after some years to go in for this examination. 
Not many women have been trained at Rosenborg, and 
only one has had an appointment there — ^for a short time 
after her training. 

Several estates and market gardens take women as 
pupils, but the training is only practical. Very few 
women earn an independent Hving as gardeners ; market 
gardening is usually considered rather hard work for women, 
and, besides, requires capital, and no woman has hitherto 
obtained a superior situation in any of the larger gardens, 
public or private. When they obtain a post they are 
usually paid less than the men for the same work. 

Upon the whole, gardening in Denmark does not seem 
at present to be a very re commendable career for women 
who have to earn their Hving by it. On the other hand, 
many women now study it for use in their own homes. 
Thus there are State-aided courses for cottagers' wives 
and daughters both at Kjarhave and at a few other 
schools. Teachers go through a course of gardening in 
order to be able to teach in the school gardens. 

GERMANY 

I am permitted to publish the following ex- 
tracts, and they have been kindly put into English 



166 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



for me by a friend. They give an interesting 
description of the commencement of a school 
which is now one of the most famous in Germany. 
I am told, upon good authority, that posts for 
lady gardeners are easily obtained ; in fact, that 
the demand is greater than the supply. The 
salaries vary from 400 marks to 2,000 marks and 
free living. The posts are chiefly in private gar- 
dens, sanatoria, and housekeeping schools. 

DE. ELVIRA CASTNER'S SCHOOL OF POMOLOGY AND 
HORTICULTURE, MARIENFELDE 

By Makie C. Vorwerk 

In 1877 a German lady-student was Hving in the 
American seaport of Baltimore. She loved in her leisure 
hours to seek the harbour and watch the ships come and 
go. One day in autumn she saw with astonishment, from 
a train of perhaps fifteen to twenty coaches, an immense 
quantity of small square boxes unloaded and brought 
to a ship. On inquiry as to their contents, where they 
came from, and whither bound, she was told they were 
apples from California, destined for Germany, and that 
this fruit was sent every year in increasing numbers to 
Germany and other European countries. 

Why should Germany import foreign fruit ? Has 
she not in all her provinces tracts of land with conditions 
and climate suitable for fruit and vegetable growing, 
and why should not German women earn a livelihood by 
horticulture ? From these questions, which the student 




STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOL OF POMOLOGY AND HORTICULTURE 
MARIENFELDE, NEAR BERLIN. 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 167 



asked herself in the harbour of Baltimore, has arisen the 
Horticultural School of Marienfelde. In the meantime 
the lady was naturally inclined to continue her chosen 
career of dentistry, to finish her studies, and begin to earn 
her living. But the idea would not rest ! Whoever comes 
to Marienfelde to-day and sees there the stately building 
in its large garden, or has met a lady-gardener, trained 
at Marienfelde, in her thoroughly satisfying calling, must 
acknowledge what splendid results have sprung from this 
idea of the German student in the distant American com- 
mercial town. 

A bee -hive with the inscription, " No reward without 
diligence," is carved over o*ne of the entrance-doors of 
the school ; a suitable escutcheon as warning and incentive 
to the entering students, and not less as a reminder of 
the origin of the school and the busy life of its 
foundress. 

Elvira Castner was a chemist's daughter, born in 1844 
in a small town of western Prussia, and was a very lively, 
clever child. That she might not have to go from home 
for her education, her parents sent her to a boys' school, 
kept by a very scholarly pastor ; there she eagerly studied 
every subject up till then reserved for boys. After two 
years at a seminary in Posen, she passed her teacher's 
examination. She liked her calling as teacher, but owing 
to throat trouble had to give up this profession. She 
went to Berlin for five years, and her health being re- 
established, her long-restrained love for medicine woke 
to new life. Liberal Berlin granted her what had been 
unattainable in the provinces. 



168 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



She returned from Baltimore in 1878, with her degree 
as dental-surgeon, set up as a dentist in Berlin, and soon 
gained an extensive practice. Her mother and sisters 
came to reside with her, and one of her sisters, after taking 
her dental degree in America, became her assistant. Having 
attained her object, there came a time of comparative 
rest, in which the idea of German Horticulture stepped 
again into the foreground. Leisure hours were utilised 
for botanical study, holiday tours to visit various horti- 
cultural schools, pomological institutions and model- 
gardens in Reuthngen, Stuttgart, Switzerland, etc. 

In the year 1889 an opportunity occurred to purchase 
in the neighbourhood of Berlin a small piece of ground 
where her acquired theoretical knowledge might be put 
into practice. Dr. Elvira Castner, with her family, occupied 
part of the double house built on the ground, while the 
remainder was let. A market garden was laid out — ^the 
rougher work being done by the porter's wife. The sisters 
took charge of the remainder, aided by the coimsel of their 
mother, an experienced farmer. 

The first practical trial of a School of Horticulture for 
women was made at this time by the wife of the Counsellor 
of Commerce for Charlottenburg. Dr. Elvira Castner 
thought herself fortunate to see her idea so soon reaHsed, 
and gave the school her warmest interest. As vice-presi- 
dent of the BerUn society for the benefit of women, she 
had opportunity to know it well. The society protected 
the school, and appointed a commission for the promotion 
of pomology and horticulture, of which Miss Castner was 
chairman. Accompanied by this committee she visited the 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 169 



Charlottenburger school, and came back quite disillusioned. 
That school of horticulture was not to her niind ; the 
tending of flowers was undertaken, but without any solid 
instruction, and fruit and vegetable cultivation v/ere never 
mentioned. 

At the first sitting of the commission, she gave her 
ideas on the subject of a School for Horticulture, and was 
requested to embody them in a report, so as to reach a 
larger public. In complying with this desire she answered 
clearly and convincingly the three questions : 

1. Should more be done in our Fatherland for 
pomology and horticulture ? 

2. Is it possible for women to follow a gardener's 
calling, and to earn a living by it ? 

3. How would an educated woman, after sufficient 
training, find opportunity to practise this calhng ? 

The report was published in several papers, and Dr. 
Castner received letters from all parts, asking where the 
school of horticulture was to be found, carried out on these 
principles. A determined httle lady, Frau Rackau, from 
Jena, came to BerHn to present herself at this school. 
It seemed the propitious moment to start the school ; 
friends thronged round, circumstances were favourable. 
An attempt by the formation of a company to interest 
a larger pubHc failed miserably, and courageous Dr. 
Castner, inspired by the need of giving to German women 
the new calling of practical gardening, opened on the 
1st October, 1894, the first German female School of 
Horticulture, with seven scholars. The other part of the 
Friedenauer house happened to be free ; it was turned 



170 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



into living- and class-rooms for tlie future scholars. The 
necessary tools were obtained, and so tlie work began, 
thongb differently from Miss Castner's first intentions. 
As it had not been possible to rouse the active interest of 
educated German women, particularly those living in the 
country, the school coidd not be limited to their own 
country-women, as had been the original plan. Our 
statistical tables plainly show how largely foreigners 
are in the majority. 

The difficulties of the beginning were successfully 
overcome ; the garden, now three acres, attracted students 
in growing numbers. In April, 1895, ten new scholars 
joined the original seven, and in the next year seventeen 
were added. From that time a regular increase went on. 

Yet many hindrances remained. If women were 
indifferent, gardeners showed the liveliest, though not 
friendly, interest in the scheme, and it took years to con- 
vince them they would not be harmed by the new ideas. 

Prominent men hke Professors Wittenack, Herren, 
Ascherson, Sorauer, Garden-Inspector Lindemint, and 
others, whose judgment carried great weight, were most 
sceptical. They feared, not without cause, that the 
training for women, as was too common, would be imperfect. 
Some examinations, at which they were present on the in- 
vitation of Dr. Elvira Castner, convinced them of the 
thoroughness of our work, and with just pride we count 
them now amongst our truest friends. 

The establishment soon won general respect. House 
and garden at Friedenau became too small, and a move 
was made in October, 1899, to Marienfelde, where the 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 171 



garden of ten acres and tlie large Louse promised to be 
sufficient for years to come. Miss Castner gave up her 
dental practice and devoted herself entirely to the school. 
The interest of German women was at last awakened, and 
what was impossible ten years previously was now imitated 
in Godesberg and other places. Schools of horticulture, 
on the Marienfelde model, were started. 

Next comes the question of the training and the after 
career of the students. The prospectus and plan of 
studies of the institution abundantly answer the first 
question. I believe I can rightly say one seldom finds 
such an excellent organisation, with so harmonious an 
intermingling of theory and practice. The gardener's 
calHng is thoroughly practical, but theoretical instruc- 
tion cannot be left in the background. In our school 
only the afternoon hours belong to scientific exposition, 
the whole morning is devoted to practical work. This is 
more necessary, as most ladies come to us without the 
shghtest preliminary knowledge, and an obligatory previous 
apprenticeship was part of our ideal scheme. It is no 
slight task for a head-gardener to overlook and occupy in 
the garden fifty to sixty ladies, many without former 
training. A suitable organisation, formed in the course 
of years, considerably lightens this task, and the number 
of students in the gardens might be doubled without causing 
Herr Cornelius (our present head-gardener) much more 
trouble. Each lady learns to begin and finish her task 
without help ; second year students are allowed partly 
to arrange their own work for each season, and are re- 
sponsible for their, management of it. 



172 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



The ten-acre garden is not sufficient to employ tlie many 
students, altliougli all the work is done by the ladies ; 
more ground has been added, and, in addition, each class 
undertakes to keep in order one or two private gardens 
in the colony. 

What becomes of all the students after training ? Do 
they find really satisfactory posts ? Up till now the situa- 
tions offered cannot be filled, there not being sufficient 
candidates. The great varieties in the exercise of this 
calling, which in my opinion are not nearly exhausted, 
promise to all women, giving themselves to it, a suitable 
and pleasant occupation. 

All nerve and lung sanatoria, as well as Nature Cure 
establishments, on whose patients garden work exercises 
such a beneficial effect, all house-keeping schools, kinder- 
garten, benevolent institutions and orphanages will, it is 
to be hoped, in a few years, consider the appointment of 
a trained lady gardener a matter of course. Then come 
posts in private gardens, in town or country, nursery 
gardens, soon it is to be hoped school gardens, and all 
new schools of horticulture. 

A glance at our statistics shows that proportionately 
few scholars of the two years' course undergo the exam- 
ination, and later take situations. This is explained by 
the different scholars who come here, and who may be 
divided into three classes : — 

1. Those who actually prepare for a profession. 

2. So-called " hospitantinnen," mostly ailing ladies, 
ordered by a doctor work in the open air. 

3. Young girls between sixteen and eighteen years of 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 173 



age, who in healthy open-air work seek relaxation after 
school time, and a substitute for the usual year in a board- 
ing-school. This state of affairs is not likely to last much 
longer. New institutions will branch ofi ; some, perhaps,- 
only for deUcate women, others reserved for young girls. 

STATISTICAL OBSERVATIONS 

The school was from October 1, 1894, to April 1, 1904,^ 



attended by 

Two years' scholars . . . . .114 

One year scholars 31 

Scholars less than a year . . . .33 
Special students 54 

Total . . 232 

April 1, 1904. Scholars received . .13 

April 1, 1904. Special scholars received . 7 

May, 1904. Special scholars received. . 2 



254 

Till April 1, 1904, course completed by 77 scholars. 



Of those 

In situations ...... 38 

Occupied at home . . . . .18 

Self-supporting on their own account . . 9 

Married ....... 4 

Studying botany and chemistry . . 2 

Occupation and residence unknown . . 6 

Total . . 77 
In the school 37 

Total . .114 



174 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



There remain in the school 37 scholars 4-13 — 50 + 9 



special students. 

NATIONALITIES 

German ...... 218 

Dutch 8 

Norwegian ...... 4 

Italian . . . . . . .1 

Bulgarian ....... 1 

Russian ....... 14 

Austrian ....... 5 

American ....... 1 

Swiss 1 

Roumanian ...... 1 

Total . . 254 



For five years our horticultural school has given a 
course for teachers, which is held in two divisions of four- 
teen days, one in spring, the other in August. A quite 
special programme is sketched out for it, and everything 
necessary for regulating a school garden is taught to 
teachers in the shortest possible way. Teachers must carry 
out all the tasks given, by themselves. Twenty-five 
teachers have taken advantage of this course, four of 
these from Konigsberg, in East Prussia. 

THE FOLLOWING EXTRACTS FROM THE PROSPECTUS OF 
THE MARIENFELDE SCHOOL SHOW"* ITS PRESENT 
DEVELOPMENT 

(Formerly Friedenau, near Berlin) 

OBJECT OF THE INSTITUTION 

The intention of the School of Pomology and Horticul- 
ture is, by theoretical instruction and practical work, 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 175 



to fit women and girls of good education to take posts as 
professional gardeners, or to turn their acquired knowledge 
into money by the cultivation of their own ground. 
Above all, they learn that inteUigent cultivation of the 
soil brings better crops and produce, and with better 
sale a higher value to the ground, and that all the necessary 
work can be carried on with success by women. Those 
scholars who wish to qualify as gardeners must go through 
a two years' course. At the expiry of this an examination 
is held, which confers a leaving certificate on the successful 
candidates. Those who have not attended the course 
regularly or have not accomplished the desired quan- 
tity of practical or theoretical work, or who do not 
wish to undergo the examination, as well as those who, 
after a one year's course, leave the institution, receive, 
if they wish it, a certificate of attendance at the 
school. 

A. — COURSE FOR SCHOLARS 

The course is for two years, and pupils are admitted 
at the beginning of April and October of each year. 
The theoretical instruction embraces these branches : — 

1. Pomology. — ^Planting, cultivation, care of fruit- 
trees and berry bushes, improvement, pruning, know- 
ledge of species, preservation and sale of fruit, forcing 
under glass, po-*- fruit culture. 

2. Viticulture. — ^Planting and training of the vine. 

3. Cultivation of vegetables on waste land, sale and 
preserving, hot-beds. 

4. Flower culture. — Special attention given to the 
rose (propagation and improvement). 



176 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



5. Arboriculture. — Cultivation, increase and descrip- 
tion of the cliief kinds of woods with information of their 
decorative value for landscape gardening. 

6. Landscape gardening and design. — Sketches and plans 
of gardens and pleasure-grounds. 

7. Land surveying and levelling. 

8. Lessons in soils and manures. 

9. Botany, anatomy, physiology. — Systems, morphology 
and geography of plants, diseases of plants. 

10. Chemistry. — ^The most important constituents of 
organic and inorganic chemistry, and the most important 
minerals for plants. 

11. Zoology. — Animals hurtful or beneficial to pomology 
and horticulture. 

12. Geometry. 

13. Binding, tying. 
^ 14. Bee-rearing: 

15. The most important and practical legal knowledge. 

16. Book-keeping and correspondence. 

17. Instruction in management. 

The practical work is carried on under the guidance 
and supervision of a head-gardener, which work must be 
done unconditionally according to the arrangement of 
the head or his substitute.- Work begins in summer at 
seven o'clock, in winter at eight. 

The plan of work, containing all details, is settled at 
the beginning of every session. Hohdays of three weeks 
at Christmas, and of fourteen days in summer. The 
students must leave the institution during the Christmas 
holidays, owing to the necessary yearly repairs. Per- 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 177 



mission to remain is only given in urgent cases. Irregular 
attendance at tlie institution is a cause of dismissal before 
the end of tlie course. The course ends with the exam- 
ination. 

Bee-rearing is practically undertaken. Those ladies 
interested in poultry-breeding get the opportunity to acquire 
the rudiments of this knowledge. 

CONDITIONS OF ADMISSION 

Necessary conditions of admission are a healthy body 
fit for the work, and education in the first class of a secondary 
girls' school. To this must be added a short account sof 
one's life. Minors must have the written consent of their 
father, whose agreement to bear all the expenses of attend- 
ing the school must be given. 

DRESS 

For practical work a special dress is prescribed : 
reform-dress of coarse woollen stuff (linen in summer) 
and an apron. In the wet season of the year wooden shoes 
must be worn. Students provide at their own cost : 
garden knife, grafting and fertilising knife, stock shears, 
tree saws and pocket scissors. Instruments and the 
suitable clothing can be purchased after entry into the 
institution, as there is no variation in the dress (stuff, 
colour, and cut). Those scholars received as boarders 
must bring with them mattress and feather-bed (bedsteads 
with spiral spring-mattresses are provided) as well as bed- 
linen, towels, serviettes, spoons, knives and forks. Bed- 
steads and other large pieces of furniture may not be 
brought or procured. 

Scholars are not accepted under sixteen years. 

M 



178 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



B. — COURSE FOR SPECIAL STUDENTS 

1. For those who, on account of ill-health, want to 
occupy themselves for a time in the open air. These have 
only practical work, and do not take part in the theoretical 
instruction. Admission from April to October, or for a 
longer or shorter time. 

2. Those who wish to take theoretical instruction 
along with the other. Admission April and October. 

C. — SPECIAL COURSE 

1. Course for teachers of fourteen days' duration in 
spring, and the same in autumn. 

2. Course for owners of gardens (February — March), 
lasting four weeks. Care of fruit-trees and priming. 

FEES 

Scholars (Course a) whose parents do not reside in 
the near neighbourhood of Marienfelde must live in the 
institution, so far as there is room. If all places are filled, 
other boarding-houses will be recommended. Board in 
the school (without laundry) amounts to £4 per month, 
instruction 25s., and are both paid quarterly, the first 
term beforehand. 

The cost of board in other pensions is from £4 10s. 
to £5 per month, according to size of room; 

Monthly fee for Course a (first quarter in advance), 
£1 5s. ; monthly fee for Course B 1 (one month payable 
in advance), £1 15s. ; monthly fee for Course B 2 (a quarter 
payable in advance), £1 15s. ; monthly fee for Course c 1 
(each division in advance), 10s. ; monthly fee for Course 
c2 (payable in advance), £2. 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 179 



Scholars who wish to leave the institution before the 
end of the course must give three months' notice ; this 
can only be done in Januar}' and June. 

Should a pupil leave for any cause whatever in the 
middle of a quarter no reduction is made, and board and 
fees must be paid for the next term. 

For the six winter months (October to April) 3s. per 
month for heating, and each session 3s. for use of garden 
utensils, are levied from each scholar. 

It is expected and supposed that each scholar will 
conduct herself as a lady, in and out of the institution; 
Unladylike beh.a\dour, as well as contravention of the 
rules of the house, necessary to the maintenance of 
discipline, may be punished by dismissal from the 
school. 

Principal and Owner : Elvira Castner; 

Dr. d. s. 

POMOLOaiCAL AND HORTICULTURAL SCHOOL FOR 
WOMEN, AT WOLFENBUTTEL 

Conducted by Martha Breymann 

OBJECTS AND INSTRUCTION 

The object of the two-years' course is to give the most 
comprehensive instruction in horticulture, so as to afford 
ladies the opportunity of fitting themselves for an in- 
dependent career in husbandry ; or by a one year's course 
to be able to occupy their time usefully and happily in 
cultivating their own ground. Besides the correct work- 
ing of the ground, the aim is to teach the pupils to 
know for themselves the most necessary work and its 



180 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



proper execution, and to turn them out practical gar- 
deners and capable, observant characters. 

The forenoon, till the pause for breakfast, is kept 
exclusively for practical work, which daily amounts to 
five or six hours. The field of activity is the nine-acre 
garden of the " Breymann Educational Institute for Young 
Girls," with pleasure-grounds, greenhouses, forcing-beds, 
vegetable-fields, nursery, etc. The opportunity to learn 
bee-culture is also given. 

The theoretical instruction serves to explain and so to 
support the practical work. It comprises : 

1. Botany. — Plant life. 

2. Elementary chemistry, for the better understanding 
of the transformations of matter, instruction in manures, 
analysis of soils. 

3. Fruit and vegetable culture. 

4. Flower growing. 

5. Arboriculture. 

6. Forcing. 

7. Zoology (the foes of plants and their destruction). 

8. Garden design. 

Theoretical instruction is given every afternoon from 
one to two hours. Thursday afternoons are at the students' 
disposal. Holidays are in winter from the 15th of December 
till the 15th of January During this time the institution 
is closed. As an exception, if specially desired, leave is 
granted for a fortnight at whichever date suits best, 
viz., 1st to 15th April, July, or October ; in those weeks 
theoretical instruction is not given. 

Sti'pulatim'>8. — 1, Good education ; 2, excellent health ; 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 181 



3, obedience to the regulations of the house. Order and 
punctuality are expected. Notice must be given of absence 
from a meal, or after ten o'clock at night. There are three 
principal meals, and early and afternoon coffee. The 
food is simple, but carefully prepared. 

The fees amount to 250 marks per quarter, to be 
paid quarterly in advance. The institution can only be 
left after a quarter's notice. For heating and lighting 
the bedroom (if desired) an extra charge is made. 
Exceptional use, such as a fire the whole day, or 
light after ten p.m., is naturally more. A heated 
general room for study is at every one's disposal. On 
leaving and at Christmas 3s. for attendance is added 
to the account. 

Each student must bring : Feather-bed (not bedstead 
or mattress), bed-cover, sheets, towels, serviettes, and 
table-cover. An exception is made for foreigners, to 
whom these articles are lent for a fee. Any further 
information will be readily given. Letters of recommenda- 
tion can be shown. 

THE MAKIENBURG SCHOOL FOR LADY GARDENERS 

Station : Leutesdorf 
Pier : Andernach (with ferry connection to Leutesdorf) 

Course for Educated Women in Horticulture and 

Forcing 

Marienburg lies close to the Rhine, in Leutesdorf. 
The larger agricultural property, with ornamental park, 



182 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



fruit and vegetable garden, greenhouses, hot-beds be- 
longing to Neuwied, a neighbouring country residence, 
serve as the practical field of work for the school. All 
the labour needed is done by the students. The school 
is in two buildings, with single- and double-bedded rooms 
for the reception of twenty ladies. Hot and cold water 
is laid on, with bath-rooms and central heating. Com- 
fortably furnished sitting-rooms give the opportunity 
for social intercourse during ofi-time. This school gives 
educated girls and women the chance to acquire the requisite 
practice and knowledge to work a garden correctly and 
independently. 

Practical and theoretical instruction are both given, 
but the greater value is placed on thoroughly comprehensive 
"practical knowledge. 

I. — ^Two years' course 
For those ladies who wish to fit themselves for a 
gardener's caUing, and later take posts as gardeners on 
estates, in villa gardens, sanatoria, house-keeping schools, 
educational institutions, etc. (2,000 have taken situations 
with salary, six without). 

A. — ^PRACTICAL INSTRUCTION 

Pomology : Hybridisation, care, forcing, sale. Vegetable 
culture : Open-air and forcing, sale. Floriculture : Hardy 
and hot-house flowers, balcony and room decoration, 
arranging, making wreaths. Commercial gardening : Sale 
and despatch, with practical book-keeping. Landscape 
gardening : Designing, laying out and care of gardens. 
Basket weaving, joinery, glazing. 



GARDENINa FOR WOMEN 183 



B. — ^THEORETICAL INSTRUCTION 

Pomology : Breeding, pruning, forcing, knowledge of 
species. Vegetable culture and forcing. Mower propaga- 
tion and hot-houses, forcing. Forestry : Description and 
crossing of the most important trees for landscape gar- 
dening. Landscape gardening. Legal knowledge. Book- 
keeping and correspondence. Botany : Morphology, 
anatomy, physiology, systems, geography of plants, 
plant diseases. Zoology : Animals useful and hurtful to 
horticulture. Chemistry : Soils and manures. Geometry 
and surveying. 

Theoretical instruction is given by a head-gardener, 
a highly-educated scientific master, and by the principal 
herself. The head-gardener instructs in the practical 
department with the help of a basket-maker and joiner 
for those branches. Admission to the course is in the 
beginning of April and October. 

As a means of judging the proficiency of our scholars 
a small exhibition of garden products, and sketches and 
designs of gardens, is held yearly in the institution, about 
the end of September or beginning of October. An inspec- 
tion of the exhibition, and also of the garden, is willingly 
permitted to anyone interested. 

At the close of the second year the scholars receive 
a certificate after examination. 

CONDITIONS OF ADMISSION 

Scholars must have passed through the first class in a 
secondary girls' school, and have a healthy, robust con- 
stitution. Age not over thirty. A medical certificate 



184 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



and a short autobiography must be added to the 
report. 

A special dress is required for practical work. This, 
as well as garden shears and saws, is provided at the 
student's cost ; all other implements belong to the school, 
and are used without payment. From 1st to 15th every 
quarter there is no theoretical instruction. Extra leave, 
if wanted, should be asked for then. Classes are stopped 
for four weeks at Christmas, and scholars can only remain 
in the institution at this time by special permission. 

FEES 

For board and lodging, exclusive of heating and laundry, 
in double-bedded room, £4 10s. ; single-bedded room, 
£5 monthly. For instruction £1 monthly is charged. 
Fees are to be paid quarterly in advance (from £16 10s. 
to £18.) In the two winter quarters 15s. extra for heating 
are charged. Arrears are not allowed. Anyone wishing 
to leave before the end of the course must give three 
months' notice, or pay a quarter's fees ; such notice will 
only be received at the beginning of each quarter. 

The following articles are to be brought : — ^Table silver 
and cutlery, fruit-knife, serviette-ring (all plainly marked), 
serviettes, towels, pillows, sheets, and soiled linen-bag. 
Bedstead and mattress are suppHed. 

II. — ONE year's course 

For those ladies who wish to work their own gardens, 
and for young girls who, after the strain of school life, 
seek re-invigoration in healthy, refreshing activity for 
body and mind. These receive the same instruction as 
for the first year of the regular course, but no certificate. 



GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 185 



In other respects the conditions of the full course hold 
good. Ladies who already have elementary knowledge, 
and only wish to take the second year's course, must undergo 
a preliminary examination. 

III. — SPECTAL STUDENTS 

Can enter for a shorter time, to try if the calling of 
gardener suits them, so that later they can take a course 
of one or two years. This class, as well as those who want 
to improve their health by occupation in the open air, 
only take part in practical instruction. They will find 
near the Leutesdorf school a good boarding-house, where 
the charge is 30s. monthly. Entry on the 1st or 15th of 
every month. 

Scholars under eighteen years of age are in the special 
charge of the principal, and without her permission may 
not leave the institution. Practical instruction is divided 
into four hours in the morning and two in the afternoon. 
Theoretical instruction is given from one to two hours 
daily in the afternoon. Scholars are free on Saturday 
afternoon and Sunday. From time to time excursions 
with the students are undertaken to inspect the surrounding 
country, gardens and pleasure-grounds, and nurseries; 

Punctuality and order are required of every student. 
The rules of the school and house must be rigidly observed. 
Marie C. Vorwerk, Elsbeth von Zibzewik (Oivners 
and Principals) 

Rules for the House 
1. Scholars must appear punctually at meals ; ex- 
ceptions are to be notified to the housekeeper. In case 



186 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



of illness only will meals be served in fclie bedroom. Dress 
must be changed for dinner and supper. 

2. Before first breakfast scholars must put away 
anything lying about their rooms, make beds, and open 
the windows. 

3. Paper, flowers, hair, or other insoluble articles 
may not be put in the basin. 

4. The scholars must clean clothes and shoes, except 
their working boots. 

5. Servants and assistants are not to be asked for any 
extra service ; tips and presents are forbidden ; at Christ- 
mas and on leaving every scholar puts something into a 
money-box for the servants. 

6. Rooms and passages may not be entered with garden 
boots. 

7. Boxes and soiled hnen are to be kept on the ground 
floor. 

8. After dinner till 2 o'clock and after 10 p.m. perfect 
quiet must prevail. Lamps in the school- and business- 
rooms, as well as in the corridor, are put out at 10 p.m. 

9. Nails may not be knocked in the waUs of the rooms 
without permission ; it is also forbidden to fasten articles 
on the wafls with ordinary or drawing-pins. 

10. Any damage to the house or furniture must be 
pointed out at once to the principals, and made good. 

11. All complaints are to be made to the principals. 

School Regulations 

1. The scholars must attend theoretical and practical 
instruction regularly ; leave of absence only from the 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 187 



principals. Whoever niisses more than six weeks' instruc- 
tion in one session cannot be admitted to the examination; 

2. Practical work occupies six hours, theoretical from 
one to two hours daily. Work begins in summer at 7 
o'clock, in winter at 8 o'clock in the morning. Saturday 
afternoon and Sunday are holidays. 

3. Scholars whose week it is to be in management, 
or at work in the hot-houses, must remain in the establish- 
ment, even in their free time, and look after their depart- 
ments. 

4. Only half of the scholars at most can get leave in 
the first fortnight of a quarter. Permission should there- 
fore be sought in good time. Those employed in the hot- 
houses or as overseers can obtain leave in case of urgency 
only, and must put in a substitute during their absence. 

5. Permission for a week's leave is to be obtained at 
latest eight days in advance, for one or several days the 
day before. Only urgent cases permit an exception. 

To be provided : — 1 reform winter dress with bloomers ; 
2 reform summer dresses with 2 bloomers ; 2 blue linen 
aprons ; 1 cap, and 2 linen hats ; 1 pair strong boots and 
gaiters ; some books, drawing materials, grafting-saw, 
tree-shears, garden-knife, grafting and fertihsing knives, 
yard-stick, materials for basket-making. 

Anyone maliciously violating the regulations of the 
house or school is dismissed. 

SCHOOL OF HORTICULTCJEE FOE LADIES, AT HOLTENAU, 
NEAR KIEL, SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN 

" I willingly comply with the request to contribute 



188 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



a short report of my work in connection with the above 
institution, which I founded in 1901. 

" It is beautifully situated on an elevation gently sloping 
south towards Kiel Harbour, near the Kaiser Wilhelm 
Canal. It contains two hot-houses, eighty forcing frames, 
about 500 fruit trees of all sorts and kinds, a grand assort- 
ment of shrubs, ornamental trees and conifers. Two 
alleys of high-grown pear trees (interlaced) in the shape 
of a large cross form the centre of the garden. 

" I opened the school with five pupils ; at present there 
are seventeen; The course of training is two years for 
those who wish to take up gardening as a profession, and 
one year for amateurs. 

" The study is twofold : Practical and theoretical. 
Our practical course comprises : — ^Fruit growing : How to 
grow best dessert fruit on large and small farm trees. 
Harvesting the fruit. Storing and packing it. There 
are about forty different kinds of apples, thirty-five 
pear and fifteen plum trees. Preserving various fruits 
in various ways. Then there is the annual grafting of 
wild trees, the culture of farm trees, of high standard and 
half-high standards. We also grow apples, pears, and 
peaches in pots and tubs. Vegetable growing includes 
forcing in the hothouse and frames, as well as cultivation 
of all suitable kinds in the open field. I teach preserving 
and wintering of vegetables. In flower growing we speci- 
ally take those pot plants that sell well, as : Chrysanthe- 
mum indicum, Primula obconica and chinensis, cyclamen, 
begonias, amaryllis, hyacinths, tulips, cineraria, etc.- 
But of course we also cultivate exotics. 




SCHOOL FOR LADY GARDENERS, HOLTENAU, NEAR KIEL 
SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN. 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 189 



" In the open we cultivate the favourite spring and 
summer flowers, annual and perennial roses, etc. Thus 
we obtain abundant material for cut flowers, which serve 
for teaching the pupils to make up bouquets, table decora- 
tions, etc. We use the garden stuff first of all for our 
own household, but the remainder — by far the larger part — 
is sold in Kiel, thus teaching the pupils the actual market 
value of their materials. 

" At the Schleswig-Holstein Horticultural Exhibition 
in 1906 our school gained four first and three second 
prizes ; severaj diplomas ; and the silver State medal for 
fruit-packing. 

" For landscape gardening we have small plantations, 
where every year we train new trees by means of slips, 
suckers, shoots, and heaping up. We have had orders 
to plan and lay out several gardens in Kiel and 
Holtenau. 

"Now and then visits are arranged to the various 
nurseries, market gardens, private gardens of importance, 
or the Botanical Gardens at Kiel, so as to give the pupils 
opportunity of seeing other plants and other ways of 
arranging and growing. 

" Our scientific course comprises : — ^Botany, chemistry, 
mineralogy (taught by a University man), drawing (by 
the municipal head-gardener). Drawing includes : Geo- 
metrical problems, drawing plans of small and large gardens, 
then designs of pupils' own making ; correct calculation 
of expenses, and working plans in detail. 

" Land surveying and levelhng are first taught theoreti- 
cally, then practically. Much importance is attached to 



190 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



a thoroughly accurate drawing of plans, as it is excellent 
practice for the eye for all things pertaining to gardening. 
In regard to plan drawing we have had many successes. 
At the before-mentioned Schleswig-Holstein Horticultural 
Show in Kiel, September, 1906, five pupils exhibited their 
own designs in garden plans, with schemes for working them, 
and bill of costs attached, which gained distinctions ; two 
pupils received the Ehrenvreis, given by H.H. Duchess 
Caroline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Gliicksburg. At 
the exhibition in Bremen in 1907 two pupils earned honour- 
able mention by the Horticultural Society. 

" Then we have lessons on soil, manure, zoology, arbori- 
culture, and how to lay out plantations. Our practical 
subjects are thoroughly entered into, and treated also 
from their scientific basis. 

" As a test of the work done by the pupils there is an 
annual exhibition of garden produce of all kinds, and of 
the pupils' drawings, in the hall of the Institution. Friends 
and experts are invited. We have had cheering visits of 
inspection from the Kieler Horticultural Club and the 
Trauenverein. 

" After the two years' learning is completed the pupils 
receive a testimonial as to their qualifications and achieve- 
ments. But no examination is held, as I hold that not 
being held by qualified Government examiners they are 
practically useless. My aim is to give my pupils a thor- 
oughly sound practical education. 

" There is a great demand for well trained lady 
gardeners, and one who is skilful commands a good social 
position. I have so many offers for trained pupils 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 191 



that the demand far overreaches the supply. Salaries 
commence with about £30, including food, and treatment 
as a member of the family. Many of my pupils are filling 
situations on estates, schools for economy, sanatoria, 
private gardens, etc. Two former pupils are now teachers 
of horticulture at the Household School for Women at 
Reifenstein, near Leinefelde (Prov. Saxony), and at Maid- 
burg, near Kempen (Prov. Posen). One pupil has been 
gardener-in-chief at the large training home for girls near 
Berlin ; then she went to America, where she is manager of 
a large private garden in New York. Another pupil 
occupied the post as paid assistant at an extensive 
vegetable growing plantation near Kiel, and was able to 
work as fast and satisfactorily as the male assistants. 
Other pupils again, including some Danes and Norwegians, 
cultivate their own gardens or take situations in their 
own country. Still another pupil founded, about two 
years ago, a Horticultural School at Wolfenbiittel (Bruns- 
wick), following the same principles as taught at my 
school. 

" There is no difficulty in finding really good situations 
for skilful workers, and gardening has proved a blessing 
to many of our sex. Marta Back. 

" HoLTENAU, September, 1907." 

The above account gives such a graphic description 
that I need only add the terms. A thorough education 
and good health are required of those applying for vacancies. 
The terms are : — 50 marks per quarter. Pension for 
students the first year, 75 marks per month ; pension for 



192 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



students the second year, 70 marks per month. This 
must be paid three months in advance. 

AUGUSTE-FORSTER INSTITUTION, OBERZWEHREN 
(KREIS CASSEL) 

The Kassel Society for the Education of Women has 
provided in the Auguste-Forster Institute a country school 
where young girls and women may obtain a thorough 
training in three different departments : viz., horticulture, 
domestic economy, and poultry and pig-rearing, etc. 
The instruction, combining theoretical information and 
practical work, is given by accomplished female teachers. 
Six to eight scholars can be taken for each depart- 
ment. 

The duration and direction of the course are regulated 
by the result aimed at. The time of study in each depart- 
ment lasts a year ; scholars, who intend to make use of 
their training in their own home, can take a half-year's 
course. 

Students are not permitted to take the different courses 
concurrently. Those who successfully pass an examination, 
held at the end of the year's course, receive a certificate of 
proficiency. These certificates are of special importance 
to those who wish to earn their living in the gardener's 
calling, or as housekeepers. The year's course and 
certificate are also valuable to those who become teachers 
of domestic economy in rural housekeeping schools, as 
the regulation examination for domestic economy does not 
include such special country subjects as horticulture, 
poultry-rearing, etc. For those who have already attended 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 193 



similar institutions, and wish further instruction without 
intending to make money by it, a shorter course of study, 
under special conditions, is arranged. 

The instruction comprises : — ^Theoretical instruction in 
the different branches and conditions of plant-culture. 
Practical work : Fruit and vegetable culture, raising plants 
in the open air and under glass, care of plants in hot-houses 
and in rooms, care of ornamental grounds, decoration of 
dwelling-rooms and verandahs with plants and cut-flowers. 
To those students who intend to become professional 
gardeners a longer attendance at our establishment is 
recommended, or a continuance of training in a nursery 
or private garden ; a thorough initiation into the high 
calling of gardener is not possible in a shorter time. Any 
who have taken the year's course, and desire more advanced 
training, can attend the State horticultural institutions as 
out-students. 

The Kassel Chamber of Agriculture has granted the 
Forster Institution the use of the means of instruction 
provided in the Oberawehren Pomological Institute, a 
remarkably well-conducted establishment. 

The Auguste-Forster Institution at the same time aims 
to attract educated women to settle in the country, by 
affording them practical guidance in social work. For 
this object, instruction in handicrafts, knitting, sewing, 
mending, cutting-out, cooking, washing, and ironing is 
given (chiefly in winter) to the women, young girls, and 
children of the surrounding villages. Ladies with good 
preparatory knowledge are admitted as voluntary helpers, 
if they intend to devote themselves in earnest to social 



194 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



work in the country, and if there is room in the in- 
stitution. 

HOLLAND 

The following notes were sent me by a lady in Holland, 
and have been kindly put into English by a friend. They 
describe briefly the school recently opened near The Hague 
(Station of Rijswyk). The name of the school is " Huis te 
Lande," and it is built in the style of an English country 
house. It is managed by Mesdames J. Kuyst and C. 

POMPE. 

On a medalKon over the entrance the following motto 
is inscribed. " Think great thoughts, do great deeds." 
The students are all girls of good position and well educated. 
They must speak at least three modern languages, and 
have a good knowledge of botany and geography. Other- 
wise they could not profit by the course ; it is therefore 
preferable if they have been at a high school. They 
must have taste for gardening. 

A medical certificate is required, showing that they 
are physically fit for the work. The directors of this 
school do their best to correct the idea, which many 
doctors have, that gardening is suitable to invalids. The 
institution is not intended as a Sanatorium, and only 
healthy, active girls are wanted, and those who evince 
a strong inclination for out-of-door life. 

The school is especially intended for the daughters 
of those who inhabit cottages or villas having small 
gardens attached. As a rule these gardens leave much 
to be desired in the way of cultivation. They are too 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 195 



small for a gardener, and are worked by a labourer, who 
knows but little about the cultivation of flowers. It is 
hoped that the school training will enable these young 
ladies to manage and cultivate their home gardens. It is 
considered, in Holland, that the time for ladies to earn a 
living by gardening has not yet arrived 

Both practical and theoretical work is taught, but the 
former is considered the most advantageous. If the 
students know how to do the work themselves, they can 
show their workmen. At the same time theory will help 
them to understand the why and wherefore of operations. 
On three mornings a week, from 9 to 12, theory is taught. 
The rest of the time is for practical work. A lecture 
hall is attached to the school ; there is also a 
special laboratory, which students are only allowed to 
use under the supervision of those who understand 
chemistry. 

A coffee room is provided for students who live too 
far away to return home for dinner. There is also a 
dressing-room, and from here a door opens into the one 
acre of flower garden and arboretum, which is surrounded 
by frames and glasshouses. 

In the middle of the grounds is a spacious workshop, 
which can be warmed. 

Some of the glasshouses are for flowers, and others for 
fruit. They contain many pots with small fruit trees, in 
full fruit, and peach trees. The whole is under good and 
practical management. Only six students are at 
present admitted at a time. Terms are 300 guelders a 
year. 



196 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



GOVERNMENT WINTER SCHOOL FOR GARDENING (HORTI- 
CULTURE) 

AALSMEER, BOSKOOP, NAALDWIJK, TIEL 

Practical experiments are also carried out during the 
summer at Aalsmeer. 

Age of Admission. — 16. 

Requirements. — ^Knowledge of the Dutch language, of 
arithmetic, geography, rudiments of German and EngHsh. 
Some idea of gardening (to be given verbally). 

Fees. — ^Fl. 10, for two winter terms. Pupils without 
means can receive free admission from the Minister of the 
Interior. The fee for the summer term at Aalsmeer is 
fl. 25. 

Implements or tools. — Cost fl. 9 or fl. 10. 

The theoretical instruction comprises physics, chemistry, 
botany and zoology, aU branches of horticulture, the 
Dutch language, arithmetic, book-keeping, and, if desired, 
English and German commercial correspondence. 

Drawing for the laying out of gardens. 

Practical instruction comprises : — ^Different kinds of 
work in the proof gardens, with Government subsidy ; 
experiments in cultivation, manuring and grafting. 

During the second year this work is also carried out 
in the gardens of other horticulturists and gardeners. 

Diploma can be obtained after two years 

Course of instruction for pruning. — ^There is a course of 
instruction for pruning at Tiel, for a fee of fl. 2.50. 

Temporary local winter terms are given by Government 
teachers in gardening with the aim of preparing the lady 
teachers of the temporary winter terms. 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 197 



The course extends over three years, during which 
time a hundred lessons per year are given. 

The diploma obtainable is the Degree of Primary In- 
struction for Horticulture, and the course is open only to 
those who hold the degree as teacher of Primary Instruc- 
tion. There is no fee. 

Temporary winter terms are arranged by gardening 
societies, with Government subsidies. There is no fee, 
and at the conclusion of the term of instruction a certificate 
is granted. 

COURSE OF HORTICULTURAL STUDY AT THE ACADEMY 
AT LEIDEN 

Requirements. — ^Instruction received at the High School, 
or diploma for Secondary Primary Instruction, knowledge 
of foreign languages. 

Fees. — ^For the theory lessons, one hour a week, fl. 30 
for three months ; for the theory lessons, two hours a week 
fl. 50 for three months ; for the theory lessons, three hours 
a week, fl. 60 for three months. The course extends over 
one and a half to two years. 

There is also a similar course of study at the Groningen 
Academy. 

Other Schools of Gardening in Holland are : — 

The Sempercrescens at Naarden, Bussum. (Fees, 

fl. 300, implements and tools, fl. 10.) 

Flora Horticultural School at Watergraafsmeer (Midden- 

weg, 89). Age of admission, 14. Fees, fl. 250 ; implements 

and tools, fl. 20 ; knowledge of the Dutch language, writing, 

arithmetic, geography, are necessary. 



198 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



A course of study is given by Mr. van der Wissel, lluiae 
Soltane, Epe. 

ITALY 

WOMEN'S INSTITUTE OF AGEICULTURE AND DOMESTIC 
ECONOMY, 

Cascine, Florence, 1907 

This institute was founded on the initiative of several 
ladies, with the object of instructing girls in the different 
branches of agriculture and domestic economy, by giving 
them theoretical and practical ideas, which will enable 
them to employ their valuable energy in the domain of 
agriculture and good house-keeping. 

The school opens its classes in November. The train- 
ing lasts six months 

The class-rooms are in the left wing of the grand ducal 
palace, on the Piazzole del Re, in the public park of the 
Cascine, very near the station of the electric tramway, 
which places the school within twenty minutes from the 
centre of the town. 

The close vicinity of the horticultural establishment of 
the Royal School of Pomology and Horticulture, pos- 
sessing gardens, hothouses, orchards, vineyards, and kitchen 
gardens covering more than 50 acres of ground, together 
with the splendid position of the institute in the middle 
of the Cascine Park, combine to offer the best possible 
conditions for the practical teaching of agriculture, 
horticulture, dairy work, bee-keeping, etc. 

The curriculum includes agriculture, house -keeping, 
hygiene, chemistry, book-keeping, cooking. 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 199 



The programme of each class is as follows : — 

Agriculture. — ^Elements of morphology or vegetable 
physiology. Climatic conditions. Elements of agronomy. 
Cultivation of herbaceous plants. Fruit culture : starting 
an orchard, and cultivation of pear, apple, peach, cherr}'-, 
plum and apricot trees ; storing and drying fruit ; jam 
and preserve making. Vine and olive tree culture. 
Horticulture : laying out a small kitchen garden, and 
the cultivation of the principal kinds and varieties of 
vegetables. Gardening : flowers and ornamental foliage 
plants, trees and shrubs ; plants for the house, flower cutting 
and arranging. 

House-keeping. — I merely mention here those 
points which are connected with horticulture, » 
such as: — 

The cellar. — Storage of wine and oil. 

Fruit store-room. — ^Heating and lighting apparatus ; 
how to use and clean them 

Hygiene. — Open air and close air, meteorological factors. 

Water. — ^Tts qualities. 

Soil. — ^Its fertihsation and sanitation. 

Chemistry. — ^Bodies, simple and composed. The soil 
in its relation to plant life — artificial manuring ; air, 
Hght, heat, water, drink, food, seasonings. Practical 
experiments. 

Book-keeping. — ^Domestic and patrimonial administra- 
tions ; compilation of inventories ; current accounts ; 
buying and selling ; State funds ; plain book-keeping and 
other methods ; book-keeping for business on a small scale ; 
auxiHary books ; special accounts and their books ; 



200 GARDENING FOE WOMEN 



registry and balance account ; exercises in domestic and 
agricultural book-keeping. 

CooJdng. — ThQ lessons will be as mucli as possible 
demonstrative, and accompanied by manual practice of 
the more important operations of agriculture (grafting, 
pruning, sowing, etc.), of agricultural industries, and also 
of house -keeping and cooking. Holiday re-unions will 
be held under the supervision of the patronesses of the 
institute, and instructive excursions will be made. 

Admissio7i. — ^For the theoretical and practical classes 
the girls must be at least sixteen years old. 

A formal request on official stamped paper must be 
presented, together with the legalised birth certificate and 
documents proving that students have obtained — either 
at private or public schools — ^the necessary education in 
all ordinary knowledge. There must also be a certificate 
of good health and of vaccination. 

The admission fee is 10 lire (8s.), besides the payment 
of 40 lire (32s.), to attend the lessons. At the end of six 
months, after a theoretical and practical examination, a 
certificate of steady attendance and progress will be 
given. 

Non-residents can inquire about good and inexpensive 
lodgings in Florence from the secretary of the committee 
of patronesses. 

There will also be a few places for non-students who 
wish to attend some of the lectures. They must address 
their request to the director of the institute and pay 
30 lire (20s.) for each course of lectures they wish to 
attend. 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 201 



Arrangements will be made for non-students attending 
several classes. 

NORWAY 

The Norwegian agricultural high school has a special 
class for horticulture, and here ladies are given the 
highest education. After two years' study they obtain 
the title of " Cand -horticulture," which means a certificated 
gardener. 

Before being admitted, it is necessary to have done 
practical work in a garden for two years, and to have 
passed an examination in a smaller school of horticulture. 
The three following are the lower schools : — 

Berly school for lady gardeners was established in 
1901. It is supported by Government, and has a grant 
of about 4,000 kroner a year. The principal is Mr. M. 
NiLSEN, and there is a teacher besides. Only ten students 
are admitted each year, and up to now seventy young 
ladies have been educated here. 

Vaartum school for lady gardeners, at Stenlyaer, is 
also supported by Government, with a grant of 4,000 
kroner a year. The principal is Mr. Solstael, and there 
is one teacher besides. Ten students are admitted yearly. 
Ladies are trained here for work in their own gardens, 
as well as for other employment. 

Hastum school for lady gardeners, at Kristiania, was 
established in 1906. This school is inspected by Govern- 
ment, but does not receive a grant. The principals are 
the Misses Frolich. Sixteen students are admitted 
yearly. 

These schools all have practical and theoretical courses 



202 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



which last seven months. Hastum school also admits 
students for six- week courses. Instruction is given in 
the cultivation of fruit, vegetables, and flowers. Fruit- 
preserving is also taught. Training plants, forcing, frame 
and hot-bed culture, chemistry, botany, agriculture, and the 
diseases of plants are taught by lecture. At the same time 
students have to practise out-of-doors what they have 
learnt theoretically. 

From the Norwegian horticultural high school only 
one lady has up to now passed out, but about 140 ladies 
in all have been through the lower schools. Several of 
these have bought land to work on themselves, others 
have taken posts in private gardens or in market gardens, 
They usually receive a salary of 25-30 kr. a month, be- 
sides a house and food. Others work in their own home 
gardens. Vegetables and fruit grow well, the flavour of 
them being far better than those grown further south. 

I am told upon good authority that Norwegian women 
realise more and more that a great work lies before them 
out-of-doors, and they begin to prefer contact with Nature 
to sedentary work in ofiices. 

SWEDEN 

Through the kindness of a friend I am able to give a 
translation of the prospectus of the 

GARDENING SCHOOL AT AGDATORP, 
a practical school for lady gardeners. 

The summer term begins on April 1st. The school, 
which is helped by the State and " Blekinge hushallnings: 
sallskap," takes students of all classes of society. 



GAKDENING FOE WOMEN 203 



Tlie cliief object of the school is to spread a knowledge 
of gardening, and interest in it, amongst the daughters 
of the country population. 

There are two different divisions. A student of Division 
I. has to pay 100 kr. (£5 10s.) at the commencement of the 
term, and 40 kr. (£2 5s.) at the beginning of each month 
for board and lodging. 

Students of Division II. pay 50 kr. at the beginning 
of the term, and 2.20 kr. on the 1st of each month for 
board and lodging. 

The hours of instruction in Division I. are fewer, though 
the fees are higher. The instruction for both is similar. 
Practical and theoretical instruction is given in the following 
subjects : — Culture of fruit, vegetables, flowers, hothouse 
and frame work, raising seeds, treatment of soil and manure, 
botany. 

Special importance is attached to the use of garden 
produce in the house, preserving, and making fruit wines. 

A course of lessons in plain cookery (free of charge) 
is arranged for those students who wish to take it. From 
July 1st to Oct. 1st. 

The conditions for entering the school are : — ^Pupils 
to be at least seventeen years of age, and physically strong. 
Application for admission should be accompanied by a 
doctor's certificate. A certificate from the upper class is 
also needed from those who come from elementary schools. 

Students must have their own bedding, linen, napkins, 
candles, and soap, and must also provide gardening knives 
and scissors. The latter can best be procured after they 
enter the school. 



204 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



Students are taken for part of tlie course, after the 
term has begun, for 60 kr. per month. Should a student 
for some reason be forced to leave, before her time is up, 
no money is returned 

In 1907 the State gave one place free to daughters 
of farmers. " Blekinge hushallningssallskap " gave three 
places to daughters of farmers from Blekinge. 

The school is situated at Agdatorp farm, in Nettraby, 
about 12 km. from Karlskrona. The term commences 
on April 1st and lasts until October 31st. Applications 
must be sent in before March ^5th to Fr. J. Schmidt. 

Since the college was founded 79 students have passed 
out. Of this number only eight have taken posts. The 
usual salary is fror^ 15 kr. per month, board and lodging 
being provided. Some of the students have completed 
their training at other colleges, others pursue the interest 
of gardening in their own homes. It is clear that the 
salary mentioned is that of an under gardener, for the 
salary of a head gardener in Sweden varies from 300 kr. 
to 800 kr., with board and lodging ; it is also usual to 
give a percentage upon the sales in the garden. Most of 
the women who study for gardening in Sweden do so, 
in order to direct their own gardens. Many go through 
a course of training in a market garden, and some have 
been educated in colleges in other countries. 

ESPENAS SCHOOL FOR LADY GAEDENERS 
Postal Address : Lannas. Railway Stations : Kilsmo, 
Skbllersta, and Wingaker. Steamboat Pier : Hampetorp. 
Steamer : " Gustav Lagerbjelde." 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 205 



Espenas is beautifully situated close to the Lake 
" Store Hjalmaren." 

The school was founded in 1899. The term commences 
on April 15th and ends on October 15th. The teaching 
is both practical and theoretical. 

The subjects taught are : General gardening, kitchen 
gardening, flowers for beds and borders ; the care of hot- 
houses and frames, glazing, painting, making mats, pre- 
paration of frames, somng, watering, etc. The cultivation 
of delicate vegetables and fruits such as asparagus, toma- 
toes, artichokes, cucumbers, melons and strawberries ; 
cHmbing plants, grapes, and roses ; fruit trees and berries ; 
preparation of soil and manure ; tying up plants ; book- 
keeping as apphed to gardening ; the Week method of 
preserving vegetables, fruit and berries ; making fruit 
syrups, jellies, marmalade, fruit wines and pickles ; drying 
fruit, berries, and vegetables. Optional — ^looking after 
poultry. 

The conditions for entering the school are, that it is 
necessary to have passed through an elementary school, 
or to have had similar education. A testimonial from 
a clergyman or a doctor is required, as well as a photo- 
graph of the proposed student; 

Payment in advance upon April 15th, 125 kr. (£7) for 
the whole term. For board and lodgings, all found, 65 kr. 
per month, to be paid on April 15th and July 15th. Soap, 
candles, linen, and bedding are provided by the students. 
A piano is in the house. There are good roads for cycling, 
and excellent bathing. Apply to Stina Swartling, nee 

VON HOFSTEN. 



206 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



The number of students who have passed out since 
the school was founded is over 100. Most of the students, 
upon the termination of their training, return to their 
homes, others take posts as gardeners, and their salaries 
amount usually to from 20 kr. to 40 kr. per month, board 
and lodging being provided for them. 

SWITZERLAND 

The following account of the only school for lady 
gardeners in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, 
has been very kindly sent me by Madame Chaponniere, 
President de I'Alliance Nationale de Societes Feminines 
Suisses. I give the report in her words : — 

ECOLE PROFESSIONELLE D'HORTICULTURE POUR LES 

FEMES 

A Nieder-Lenz, Canton d'x\rgovie, Suisse 

La seule ecole professionelle d'horticulture pour les 
femmes, existant actuellement en Suisse, est celle de 
Nieder-Lenz fondee en 1906, par la " Societe d'Utilite 
Pubhque des Femmes Suisses," a Nieder-Lenz, dans une 
jolie domaine, situe sur la ligne de chemin-de-fer du 
Seethal dans le Canton d'Argovie. 

Lc programme de 1' ecole comprend diSerentes categories 
de cours : — 

1. Des cours de deux annees destinees aux femme 
desirant faire de I'horticulture leur profession. 

2. Des cours d'une annee destines aux maitresses 
d'ecoles menageres ou primaires. 



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GARDENING FOR WOMEN 207 



3. Des cours d'une annee, pour les personnes qui, 
par raison de sante ou autre, desirent connaitre la culture 
des fruits, et du jardin. 

4. Des cours speciaux, d'une duree de six mois, sur 
les differentes branches du jardinage ou de la culture 
des arbres fruitiers. Le cours de deux annees est forme 
de deux parties ; une partie pratique et une partie 
tlieorique. 

La partie pratique comprend : — 

(a) La culture des legumes ainsi que leur emploi, 
leur conservation, et eventuellement la maniere de les 
cuire et de les appreter. 

(6) Culture des fleurs en plein air et en serre, fleurs 
d'appartement, decoration, preparation de bouquets. 

(c) Etablissement de jardins potagers. 

(d) Culture des arbres fruitiers faille, greffe, recolte 
des fruits, emballage conserves, etc. 

(e) Culture des bales (fraises, framboises, groseilles, 
myrtelles). 

(/) Elevage de la volaille, des lapins, des abeilles. 

La partie tbeorique comprend des le9ons de botanique, 
de pomologie, de zoologie, de chimie agricole, de geometric, 
de dessin, la tenue de livres et quelques notions de droit 
usuel. 

L'ecole d'horticulture s'est ouverte le ler avril 1906, 
avec huit eleves pour le cours complet de deux annees et 
sept eleves pour le cours de six mois. Dans le courant 
de r annee huit autres eleves sont entrees pour un nouveau 
cours de deux ans. La majorite des eleves viennent de 
la Suisse, mais I'Autriche, Hongrie et la Russie en ont 



208 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



fourni aussi quelques-unes. les conditions d' admission 
sont : — ^Avoir frequentee une ecole secondaire ou line ecole 
analogue, etre munie d'un certificat medical de bonne sante 
et d'lm acte d'origine, etre agee de dix-sept ans accomplis. 

Pour les cours d'un ou de deux annees, le prix annuel 
de la pension et de I'enseignement est de francs 600 
(£24) payables par trimestre a I'avance. 

Pour les cours d'une annee, sans but professionel, francs 
60 par mois, ainsi que pour les cours speciaux de six mois. 
Les etrangers paient en outre francs 300 par an pour 
I'enseignement. 

A ces differents cours, il faut aj outer encore des cours 
de culture de quelques semaines, donnees au printemps, 
en ete, en automne, et destinees aux jeunes campagnardes 
des environs. 

L'ecole est sur la surveillance d'mie Commission de 
cinq membres, dont la presidente est Madame Coradi-Stahl 
(Wiedingstrasse, 56, Zurich), inspectrice federale des 
ecoles menageres, le secretaire Madame Prof. Stocker- 
Caviezel (Kiisnacbt bei Ziiricb). La directrice de l'ecole 
est Madame Prof. Joss-Roser. 

Les dons recus en vue de I'installation ont atteint 
la somme de francs 18,959.36 et les depenses pour I'in- 
stallation se sont elevees a francs 14,298.76. Les recettes 
regulieres pour cette premiere annee se montent a francs 
9,897.80, tandis que les depenses, loger de la propriete, etc., 
font un total de francs 12,883.28, laissant ainsi un decouvert 
de francs 2,985.48. II y a lieu desperer qu'avec I'extension 
prevue de l'ecole et des sources de revenues nouvelles, ce 
deficit ne se renouvellera pas. 



CHAPTER XYI 



SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES IN AMERICA 

THE UNITED STATES 

The conditions under which women work in America 
are very unlike those that exist in England. Schools and 
colleges are founded upon a different basis ; therefore 
work done in America cannot be strictly compared to that 
done in England. 

Each of the forty-five states in the United States has a 
college of agriculture. These institutions are supported 
by public funds. They are open to men and women ahke, 
and both work together. That is to say, these institutions 
are co-educational. These colleges cover the general field 
of agriculture, and, in some, horticultural work is especially 
well developed. Women in tJiese institutions may take a 
variety of subjects, or they may speciaHse in horticulture, 
dairying, home economics. Nature-study. 

A number of Government research posts in natural 
history are held by women. They are also admitted 
to the instructional bodies of several American Co- 
educational Colleges. A considerable number of the 
Doctors' theses in botany from the University of Chicago 
are by women, and can be seen in the Botanical Gazette. 

0 209 



210 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



A notable thesis of late years is that by Mrs. Clements, 
of the University of Nebraska. 

Popular attention is turned increasingly to outdoor 
life and to living on the land, and the demand for horti- 
cultural schools will continue and ensure their establish- 
ment. 

An expert tells me there is a wide field for women in 
horticulture in America. Positions as teachers, lecturers, 
gardeners in private gardens, consulting gardeners in 
suburban districts, market gardeners, fruit and nut growers, 
poultry and bee keepers are open. The only difficulty is 
that the right people are not at hand to fill them. The 
oversight of school gardens and of vacant lot cultivation 
in the great cities are openings appealing especially to 
women. Already there are some successful landscape 
gardeners. Miss Beatrice Jones, of New York City, and 
Miss Elizabeth Lee, of Philadelphia, are well known in 
his branch. 

NEW YORK STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AT CORNELL 
UNIVERSITY, ITHACA, NEW YORK 

HOETICULTURE 

The equipment is divided into two parts — that which 
is associated with the class-room and laboratories in the 
second and basement floors of the main agricultural 
building, and that connected with the forcing-houses and 
grounds surrounding them. 

1. Class rooms and laboratories. — ^The teaching activities 
are centred mainly in the headquarters of the department, 
located on the second floor of the main building in the 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 211 



agricultural compound. On this floor are a commodious 
lecture room with a seating capacity for 100 students, a 
recitation-room for 35 students, a laboratory for instruction 
in practical and systematic pomology. The laboratory will 
accommodate 40 students, and is being fitted with suitable 
apparatus and appliances for the efficient teaching of the 
practical and laboratory phases of horticultural work. 
On the same floor is the laboratory for advanced students. 
This room has space for 20 students, and those who are 
working in the graduate department or engaged in research 
courses are provided with suitable appliances for their 
special needs. The remainder of this floor is devoted to 
museum purposes, herbarium, seminary-room, and offices 
for the instructing staff. 

In the basement is a laboratory with adjacent store- 
room for use in connection with applied work in nursery 
and orchard practice. The capacity o: this laboratory is 
50 students, so that a beginning class of 100 may be ac- 
commodated in two sections. Students in elementary 
pomology and greenhouse management pursue work in 
this laboratory. 

Forcing-houses, ham, and fruticetum. — -The glass 
structures for the study of forcing crops such as flowers, 
vegetables, and fruits cover an area of about 6,000 square 
feet, and are used in connection with nearly all classes, 
though more especially associated with floriculture and 
olericulture. One house is assigned to advanced students 
for the working out of problems on which they are engaged. 
Another house is given over to the study of the variation 
of plants and the technique of plant-breeding. 



212 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



The barn is headquarters for horticultural implements 
used in tilling, pruning, and spraying trees and plants. 
The collection of spray machinery, including gas engines, 
traction machines, and the like, is full and complete. 
Thorough instruction is given in the control of orchard 
enemies. 

Aside from the ordinary equipment, the garden her- 
barium with more than 12,000 sheets is an important aid 
in the study of systematic pomology and plant variation. 
There is also an exceptionally fine collection of nearly 
10,000 negatives illustrating all phases of fruit, flower, 
and vegetable growing. This collection is being added to 
continually, and furnishes a source for lantern slides to 
illustrate up-to-date methods in the management of fruit 
plantations, the construction of forcing-houses, and the 
growing of crops in field and under glass. 

Elementary pomology. — A study of the methods of 
propagation and early care of bush and tree fruits ; the 
principles and practice of budding and grafting, with special 
attention to the particular method of propagating each 
kind of fruit. Must be preceded by Botany 1 and 2. 
Lectures and recitations with laboratory. The class will 
participate in a required excursion to Geneva and 
vicinity. 

Another class is held on this subject particularly adapted 
to the needs of the special student, and not open to those 
who are required to take Botany 1 and 2. The class will 
participate in a required excursion to Geneva and vicinity. 

Practical pomology. — -The study and practice of the 
planting, fertilising, and care of orchards ; picking, grading, 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 213 



packing and marketing of fruits. Pre-requisites, Botany 
and Horticulture, and taking Agricultural Botany. This 
class will participate in a required excursion to the fruit- 
growing sections of Geneva and Rochester. 

S fraying of fruit trees. — -A study of the preparation 
and apphcation of the different spray mixtures used in 
orchard and garden practice. Lectures and recitations 
with laboratory. 

Greenhouse construction and management. — • A study 
of the principles of greenhouse construction. Laboratory 
work will consist of the drawing and erection of sections 
illustrating the leading types of greenhouses. Throughout 
the year 

Olericulture. — • A study of the principles of vegetable 
gardening with special reference to trucking, accompanied 
by field practice in the actual growing of the plants. 

Garden and greenhouse practice. — Practical work in 
the forcing-houses and gardens, with familiar talks. One 
or two hours by appointment. Throughout the year. 
Limited to 12 students first term, 18 second term. 

Sub-tropical pomology. — ^A study of citrus, and other 
sub -tropical fruits, with special reference to American 
conditions. 

Systematic pomology.— Adysmced course in classifica- 
tion and systematic study of fruits. Two hours. 

Literature of horticulture and landscape gardening. — • 
An examination of the writings of European and American 
authors, with special reference to the evolution of horti- 
cultural methods. Open to juniors and seniors, and re- 
quired of graduates. 



214 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



Plant-hreeding, with special reference to the improve- 
ment of orchard fruits. Juniors and seniors ; required of 
graduates. 

German horticultural reading. — A study of periodical 
literature relating to horticulture. Each student is re- 
quired to subscribe for one periodical and make translations 
from assigned paragraphs. 

French of the same character and conducted in the 
same way. 

Investigation incident to previous courses. For 
graduates and advanced students^ 

Seminary work for advanced students. — ^ Required of 
graduates. One hour. F., 2-4.30, every two weeks 
beginning the first week of each term. On the alternate 
week students are required to attend the Seminary in 
Plant Industry. 

RURAL ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE 

Field engineering. — ^ Lectures, recitations and prac- 
tice in surveying and plotting the farm ; designing farm 
buildings, roads, fences, and water supply ; drainage and 
irrigation. Second half-year. Lectures and practice. 

Farm machinery. — A study of the elements of 
mechanics and of machine design entering into the con- 
struction of all machinery, followed by a special study of : — 
a) Motors, including steam boilers, gas and steam engines, 
windmills, hydraulic rams, water wheels, and a brief dis- 
cussion of the laws and appHcations of electricity ; (b) 
Farm Machinery for tillage, seeding, harvesting, threshing, 
cleaning, etc., with a discussion of the cost, life, draft, and 



GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 215 



special meclianical features of some of the maclxines now 
on the market 

Opportmiities will be afforded for special work in the 
second half-year. 

RURAL ECONOMY AND SOCIOLOGY 

Rural economy. — A study of the economic problems 
of agriculture. 

Rural social conditions. — The social history, status 
and progress of the rural community. 

History of agriculture. — ^An outline of the develop- 
ment of agriculture in its more important phases. 

RURAL ART 

This is a two-year course comprising the junior and senior 
years of the regular course in the College of Agriculture ; 
and for those who have attained a certain degree of pro- 
ficiency graduate work is offered. 

Previous to registering in this work the student must 
have completed the requirements of the freshman and 
sophomore years, and the following : — .Elementary survey- 
ing, Lettering and making of titles, Botany, Organo- 
graphy of ornamental plants, Elementary architecture. 

Previous to graduation the student must have com- 
pleted the following subjects in addition to the regular 
work : — 'Dendrology, Economic entomology, Greenhouse 
construction and management, Field engineering, Muni- 
cipal engineering, French or German horticultural reading. 

Theory and cesthetics of rural art and landscape 
design. — ^Deals with the principles of landscape design, their 



216 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



application to specific problems, together with discussions 
on the theory in all its points of appHcation. 

Landscape design. — -First course. Work on practical 
problems in design, paced and measured surveys, sketch 
plans, finished plans and detailed working drawings with 
specifications. Short sketch problems for study will be 
given from time to time. The aim is to famiUarise the 
student with the various types of plans as apphed to 
different problems. Practical problems in the vicinity 
will be studied, and reports, both preliminary and final, 
will be required. 

Freehand sketching. — Sketching and rendering in 
various media of indoor and outdoor subjects, plans, etc., 
particularly pertaining to landscape design. 

History of landscape design. — A study of the chron- 
ological development of the art of landscape gardening, 
its modifications in various countries and the influences 
which have affected its development. A full study of the 
three types of gardening — ancient, mediaeval and modern, 
and their relation to each other. 

Advanced problems and research in landscape design- — 
The more complicated problems, such as country estates, 
parkways and civic centres, are taken up and worked out 
in detail. Studies, reports, plans of arrangement, rendered 
studies, detailed drawings, grade designs, planting plans, 
total estimates of cost and a set of specifications are worked 
out for two major problems. Minor problems and sketch 
problems are required from time to time. 

Seminary. — -A review of current literature and the 
discussion of five questions relating to various phases of 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 217 



landscape work, and reports on investigations. Required 
of seniors and graduates. 

HOME ECONOMICS 

Instruction will be given in home economics in 1907-8. 
Information about this work may be had from the director 
of the College of Agriculture, as the courses are not yet 
ready for scheduhng. 

DRAWING 

Applied drawing. — -Personal instruction in the solu- 
tion of particular problems and in fitting the student to 
pursue certain lines of study to better advantage, or to 
enable him to become proficient in a speciality. 

WINTER COURSES IN HORTICULTURE 

Each year since the estabhshment of the winter courses 
the demand for special instruction in fruit-growing and 
gardening has increased. The opportunities for profitable 
fruit- and vegetable -growing on the comparatively cheap 
lands of the east and within easy reach of the great markets, 
are attracting capital and energy. It is in response to this 
general demand and these opportune conditions that a 
winter course in horticulture is offered. The various 
studies included in this course are intended to help the 
fruit-grower and gardener to manage his orchards and 
gardens better than in the past ; to fit those who have had 
some experience for positions of responsibility ; to give the 
beginner the salient principles and acquaint him as far 
as possible with the best practices of commercial and 
amateur fruit-growers and gardeners the country over. 



218 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



The entrance requirements to this course are the same 
as to the course in general agriculture. Field experience 
will always enable the student to get a maximum of benefit 
from a study of this kind. 

The course is made up of lectures, recitations and 
practice, special stress being laid on the last. 

SPECIAL EXPENSES 

General laboratory fee, $7.50 ; books, $5.00 ; work 
suit, $1.50. 

All students in this course, except those who have 
previously completed satisfactorily the winter course in 
general agriculture, are required to take the subjects that 
follow. Those who complete the winter course in general 
agriculture will not be required to take again subjects that 
they have already passed. They should consult the pro- 
fessor in charge concerning substitutes for any of the sub- 
jects. All students must register with the Secretary of the 
College. 

REQUIRED SUBJECTS 

Amateur and commercial fruit-growing. — A survey of the 
principles and practices of fruit-growing with reference to 
orchard management, handling, packing, storing, trans- 
planting and marketing of orchard products. Seven hours. 
Five hours of lectures a week and two afternoons a week for 
practice. 

Vegetable culture. — -Lectures and exercises on the grow- 
ing and marketing of vegetables for special and general 
market. Two hours. 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 219 



Farm Botany. — ^Four hours a week. Two lectures and 
two laboratory periods. 

Fertility of tJie land. — Two hours. 

There are thus fifteen hours a week of required work 
in this course. Students may elect, with permission of 
the instructor concerned, three hours a week additional 
by taking the following courses : — - 

ELECTIVE SUBJECTS 

Economic entomology. — -One hour a week. 

Plant diseases. — ^Three hours. One hour lecture and 
two hours' laboratory practice. 

Horticultural readi^ig. — -Assignment of topics for abstracts 
and reports in standard works and current periodicals. 
One to three hours by appointment. 

Floriculture and ornamental gardening. — Lectures and 
exercises on the growing and marketing of greenhouse 
crops, and the principles of lawn decoration. Two hours 
a week. 

Greenhouse practice. — -In this course the student is 
assigned specific pieces of work in the greenhouse to be 
performed under the direction of the gardener. One hou*' 
a week. 

EQUIPMENT 

Practically the same facilities are available to the 
winter course students as are offered the student in the 
regular course : — ^The library, one of the best in the country ; 
the material equipment of the forcing-houses, including 
plants, work rooms, spray pumps and implements, are all 
used in conducting the work of instruction. 



220 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



Those who desire additional information should apply 
John Craig, Professor of Horticulture. 

Women are eligible on equal terms with men in all 
these courses of instruction — -and a good many women are 
at work in this college. The students registered in the 
college of agriculture (not in the College of Arts and 
Sciences) number over 300. 

LOWTHORPE SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE GARDENING AND 
HORTICULTURE FOR WOMEN, AT GROTON, MASSA- 
CHUSETTS 

Founded by Mrs. Edward Gilchrist Low 

LECTURERS 

Landscape architecture. — Mr. J. F. Dawson, with 
Olmsted Brothers. The garden and its accessories. — ^Mr. 
LoRiNG Underwood. 

INSTRUCTORS 

Study of trees and shrubs.— Miss Laura Blanchard 
Dawson. Drawing and garden design. — ^Miss Gertrude 
F. Sanderson. Surveying and engineering. — ^Mr. Stephen 
Child. Botany : Greenhouse work and gardening out-of- 
doors. — ^Miss L. L. Hetzer. 

Study of trees and shrubs. — -Lectures with field walks. 
Study of trees from winter buds, and in leaf. Study of 
shrubs, foliage, and flowering, with consideration of land- 
scape value. Specimens from the Arnold Arboretum. 

Botany. — Study of plant structure, function, and 
classification. The greater part of the time will be devoted 
to the flowering plants. 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 221 



Garden design. — ^Practice in making preliminary and 
finished plans. Designing and laying out of gardens. 

Drawing. — ^Freehand in black and white and water 
colour, with autumn and spring sketching out of doors. 
Mechanical, simple projections leading up to elementary 
study of architectural details. 

Surveying and engineering. — Such parts as have value 
to landscape work. 

Greenhouse work. — Care of greenhouse. Propagation, 
by seeds, cuttings, layering, budding, and grafting. Carna- 
tion, violet growing, orchids, etc. 

EXPENSES 

Tuition $100 a year. One half to be paid on entering, 
the second half in January. 

A limited number of students may be accommodated 
at Lowthorpe. Single room, $30.00 per month, and 
upwards ; double room for two, at $30.00 per month for 
each. Accommodation for others may be obtained in 
the village near by. The full course comprises two years' 
work. School year is from September 15 to June 15. 
Vacations at Christmas and Easter. 

The avenues of work that are available are : — 

Designing and planting flower gardens ; care and 
maintenance of rose gardens and flowering shrubs ; 
weekly supervising of greenhouses ; planning and laying 
out small estates ; planting small parks for village im- 
provement societies. 

All communications should be addressed to 

Lowthorpe School, Groton, Massachusetts. 



222 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



Simmons College, Boston, Mass., lias, I believe, a 
horticultural college connected with it, but it has not 
been in operation long. 

Smith College, Northampton, Mass., also ofiers courses in 
practical horticulture. 

The following letter, written by the director of the 
principal school of Forestry in America, and very kindly 
sent to me by Mrs. Low, shows that he is of opinion that 
there is an opening for women in landscape gardening : 

Yale University Forest School, 

New Haven, Conn., 
May 22, 1907. 

My Dear Mrs. Low, — 

I have for a lo^J^^ime felt that there is an oppor- 
tunity for useful work by women in landscape gardening. 
There is, at the present time, no place except the Low- 
thorpe School, where women can secure an adequate 
training in landscape gardening. I beheve that your 
institution is needed, and will be appreciated. 

I may say from my impressions upon visiting your 
school that you have chosen an exceedingly favourable 
location, and that you have made very fine progress in 
the organisation of your work. 

I want to do what I can to assist your school, for I 
believe in it. If I can be of any service in this or any 
other way, I hope that you will feel free to call upon me. 
Sincerely yours, 

H. S. Graves {Director). 

To Mrs. Low, 

Frincifol of Loivthovpe ScJiool for Lady Gardeners. 



SOUTHERN ENTRANCE TO " LOWTHORPE," CROTON, MASS. 
MRS. LOW'S SCHOOL FOR LADY GARDENERS 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 223 



Mrs. Low asts me to draw attention to the fact that 
the work of " landscape design " is the most important 
in her school. Garden and greenhouse work are secondary 
to this. She tells me that several of her former students 
have become supervisors of school gardens, in connection 
with the Public Schools or Village Improvement Societies. 
The highest salary is $60 per month, for five months. 
One former student has gone to Portland, in Oregon, on 
the Pacific coast, where she is told she will soon become 
e^ablished as a landscape gardener. Several women 
have already made a success of landscape gardening. 
Ten years hence they will be heard of all over the 
country. At present the largest income is £800, or 
$4,000. 

The two photographs of Lowthorpe are attractive. 
Three years ago the site of the present avenue, leading 
to the house, was a field. The students surveyed the 
avenue under instruction, and then did the planting. 
They have to learn to read a surveyor's plan with ease. 
In the oval in front of the door are Rhododendron maximum, 
which is hardy in Massachusetts, ferns and Rinus Strabus. 
At the entrance on the right are viburnums, cornus, 
lonicera, roses, etc. The picture of the southern entrance 
gives the bulb garden, between the greenhouse and verandah, 
where later on bloom lilies, lilacs and magnolias. On the 
left is a hedge of white rose rugosa. Through the arch 
one goes into the garden. The large tree is a " platanus 
occidentalis." The place was an old farm when Mrs. 
Low bought it in 1900-1, and we can judge by the well- 
kept grounds what a success she has made of it. 



224 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL OF HORTICULTURE FOR 
WOMEN 

The plan of the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for 
Women has originated in the desire to ofier to women an 
opportunity to fit themselves for an occupation at once 
healthful, pleasant, profitable, peculiarly fitted to their 
gifts, and in which they have ever taken an intelligent 
interest and active part. 

Our purpose is to offer to these earnest-minded women 
a training in the principles and practice of horticulture 
and aUied subjects, knowing that really skilled labour can 
always find a market, helping them also to find employ- 
ment in the work for which they have been thus 
prepared. 

To this end we expect to open in the near future the 
" Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women." A 
small farm of twenty to forty acres will be obtained (prob- 
ably rented), having upon it a comfortable dweUing with 
accommodation for about ten students (at fijst). Flower 
and kitchen gardens and orchards will be laid out and 
planted. Teachers of skill and experience will lecture upon 
the principles and practice of the courses of study offered, 
and will oversee all practice work done by students. For 
the very heavy work a labourer will be employed, but the 
students will do all the rest themselves imder direct super- 
vision of the teacher. A competent matron or principal 
will be in charge of the household and will have general 
oversight of the students. 

The full course will occupy two years of twelve months 
each, but arrangements will be made for suitable hoUdays, 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 225 



and full students will be advised to live in tlie house. 
Short courses on special subjects will also be arranged, 
and it is hoped will prove attractive and useful to some 
who may want to specialise along certain lines. 

The tuition and board fees will be kept down to as 
low a figure as possible, and it is hoped that there will be 
endowed scholarships. 

The subjects to be offered at once are : — 

Flower and kitchen gardening, care of lawns and 
shrubbery, orchards, poultry raising, bee-keeping, garden 
carpentry, marketing of produce. 

Later there may be added : — 

Forestry, maple sugar growing, preserving of fruits 
and vegetables, and such other subjects as may be called 
for. 

There is in Pennsylvania no other school of this char- 
acter. The Pennsylvania State College at State College, 
Centre County, offers valuable and excellent instruction, 
but, Hke the other state colleges, lays most of its stress 
on agriculture rather than on horticulture, and gives great 
attention (and necessarily so) to experimental farm work, 
and to seed and soil tests. Incidentally we hope to profit 
by these experiments and to help to spread abroad know- 
ledge of the improvements and better methods which their 
experience may have proved beneficial. 

We shall be glad to enter into communication with others 
interested in the subject, and we look for the interest and 
support of Pennsylvanians and many others. 

Miss Jane B. Haines, Secretary and Treasurer, Chelten- 
ham, Pa. 
p 



226 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDENS, ST. LOUIS, MO. 

The Trustees of the garden offer theoretical and 
practical instruction in gardening, with a certain number 
of competitive scholarships. These scholarships are not 
open to women. The course of instruction can, however, 
be taken by women who are ready to bear their own 
expenses and pay the nominal fee of $25 per annum. 

Only one young woman has so far completed the 
course. This lady. Miss Eda A. Sutermeister, 1637, Broad- 
way, Kansas City, Missouri, has become an accomplished 
landscape architect. One other girl went through the 
greater part of the work. She subsequently took charge 
of the floriculture at an industrial school for women, after 
extensive experience in practical floriculture. In addition 
to these two, a number of ladies have taken various 
courses of study included in the outhne, or have received 
practical training in gardening at the Botanical Garden, 
covering short periods of time, and limited parts of the 
subject. 

The following is taken from the last report : — 

INSTRUCTION IN GARDENING 

The requirement that instruction in gardening and hor- 
ticulture should receive attention at the Garden, in addition 
to the provision of a lodging house for pupils, led to the 
entire renovation of the fruit orchard some years ago, at a 
cost of $444.44, and two small vegetable houses have been 
built for further experimental and educational use. The 
annual expenditure on the gardening course averages 
§930.34. 



GARDENING FOE WOMEN 227 



The Director reports that of the 39 pupils thus far en- 
rolled, of whom 15 completed the course, ten are now 
successful florists or gardeners, two have become landscape 
architects, three hold responsible park positions, two are 
college horticulturists with teaching as well as practical 
duties, one is a surveyor, one is a government plant ex- 
perimenter, and one is a forester in the Philippine service. 

INSTRUCTION IN BOTANY 

Mr. Shaw's provision for a close connection between the 
School of Botany, which he had endowed in Washington 
University, and the Garden has been of great assistance to 
the undergraduate department of the University, and 
through the Garden opportunities for work have been 
offered to graduate students, of whom five have received 
the Master's degree and six the degree of Doctor of Philo- 
sophy with botany as a major study. The Board expect 
to see a large increase in this utilisation of the Garden 
facilities commensurate with the very gratifying growth of 
Washington University. Indirectly the Garden has been 
of much use to the young men who have served as assist- 
ants in its office, library, or herbarium, or as teachers in 
the school of botany, for with very few exceptions they 
have gone to college, government or other positions of high 
responsibility in botany or horticulture, for which their 
service here gave excellent training. 

NEW YORK STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AT CORNELL 
UNIVERSITY, ITHACA, NEW YORK 

Normal Worh. — Two-Year Special Course in Nature- 
Study. — ^This course is organised to help persons who expect 



228 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



to teach nature -study and country-life subjects in tlie 
public schools. Persons actually engaged in teaching, and 
also all persons in the University who signify their in- 
tention to teach, are eligible. A certificate will be given 
on the completion of 60 hours in the courses prescribed 
below, together with such other work in the College of 
Agriculture as may be approved by the director. Designed 
to prepare students to teach elementary agriculture. 

Nature-Study. — Lectures and discussion of methods. 

Home Nature-Study Work. — ^Work in the training classes 
in the Ithaca schools in which students are also to take 
part. 

Practice Work in Nature-Study in the pubhc schools of 
Ithaca, comprising school-room work, excursions, and 
other exercises with children. 

School Gardens, comprising actual garden-making with 
children on school grounds and in the University school 
gardens. In winter the work will be conducted in the 
forcing houses, where plant-growing subjects mil be taken 
up in such a way as to adapt them to elementary school 
conditions. 

Seminary in Nature-Study and Elementary Agriculture. — 
Devoted to the study of the methods of teaching nature- 
study and elementary agriculture, and to the review and 
criticism of courses now offered in our elementary and 
secondary schools. 

Nature-Study. — ^Advanced course. Individual work on 
special problems. 

Travel Course in Agriculture. — ^The aim of this course 
is to give the students an opportunity, under competent 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 229 



guidance, to see the main agricultural activities and crops 
not represented in New York. It is open to qualified 
students of the College of Agriculture and of other colleges. 

SPECIAL WORK 

Opportunities are provided for persons who desire to 
pursue special work. Students must be at least eighteen 
years of age to take advantage of this work. 

Special Work in General Agricidture.— This work is 
designed to meet the needs of young men and young 
women from the farm who have not the time to give to 
a four years' course. They must satisfy the director that 
they are well enough grounded in the secondary school 
subjects to enable them to pursue the work with credit 
to themselves and with honour to the University, and also 
that they desire to take the work because of direct interest 
in agricultural affairs. They must present an honourable 
dismissal from the school last attended and certificates of 
good moral character, and will be required to present such 
certificates and letters as may be desired- This work is 
not a definite " course " in the sense of having a programme 
or a prescribed set of studies. The student chooses any of 
the agricultural " electives " that he may be able to pursue. 
Certain courses are to be given by some of the departments 
for those who lack some of the fundamental work usually 
required in those subjects. Admission as a special student 
by the director does not admit to classes. The student is 
admitted to the various classes by the heads of the depart- 
ments when he has satisfied such officers that he is able to 
pursue the work; 



230 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



Nature-Studij Special Course. — This course, of two years, 
is open to teachers, or to such students in regular University 
courses as signify their intention to teach, who desire to 
prepare themselves in nature-study and country-life sub- 
jects. In this course the work is largely prescribed. The 
course comprises two categories of work : the subject- 
matter studies, and the pedagogical practice. The subject- 
matter is secured in the regular classes of the University, 
largely in the biological departments. The pedagogical 
practice is to be had with children in regular nature-study 
classes and clubs in the public schools of Ithaca and in 
school-garden work with children. 

EXTENSION WORK 

The extension work of the College of Agriculture is 
designed to help persons directly on their farms, and to 
aid those who desire definite instruction but cannot take 
a long or regular course in agriculture in the University. 
It supplements the teaching and experimenting of the 
College of Agriculture. It is professedly a popular work. 
It endeavours to reach the common problems of the people, 
to quicken the agricultural occupations, and to inspire a 
greater interest in country life. It is also a bureau of 
publicity, whereby there is an exchange of all important 
matters connected with the progress of the agriculture of 
the State. 

ARGENTINA; BUENOS AIRES 

The following information is all that I can ascertain. 
There are no special horticultural colleges for ladies 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 231 



in this country, but they are admitted to all the agricul- 
tural colleges. They may take the same degrees as 
men. 

As yet only one lady has received the highest degree 
accorded, namely Agricultural Engineer, and two others 
are now studying. 

No opening for women in this sphere of activity has 
presented itself so far, but I am informed that undoubtedly 
very soon the public will appreciate their efforts and 
employ them in preference to men. 

In all public schools pupils from the fourth to sixth 
grades of both sexes receive notions of agriculture, and 
are practically taught the care and cultivation of indoor 
plants. In some few schools that have the necessary 
ground, pupils are also instructed in cultivating vegetable 
and flower plants. 



CHAPTEE XYII 



GARDENING AND NATURE-STUDY IN CANADA AND 
AUSTRALIA 

The question of gardening for women in Canada 
is admirably dealt with — together with that of 
" Nature- Study " — in the following communica- 
tion which I have received from Miss E. Eitchie, 
of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It will be seen that while 
" Nature-Study " is taking a prominent position 
in the curriculum of the public school— the pro- 
fession of gardening for women has barely entered 
into consideration : — 

I very much regret that the information I can now 
send is far from complete as regards the whole Dominion. 
Our committee on education is not really in working order, 
only two members — ^both from Ontario cities — ^having been 
appointed by " local councils," so that I have myself had 
to collect facts from the other provinces without having 
local knowledge to guide me. In Canada educational 
matters are subject entirely to provincial control, and the 
system differs in the various provinces, so there is no 
Central Bureau of information at Ottawa; The following 

232 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 233 



statements may, I think, be relied upon as correct as far as 
they go. 

1. Nature-Study is taught to some extent in the public 
schools all over Canada (I am not quite sure about Quebec, 
about which my information is imperfect, but I believe it 
is probably true of that province also). In Nova Scotia, 
which is a fairly representative province in such matters, 
nature-study occupies a part of every day in all the schools, 
and so far as my own observation goes, it seems to be 
taught sensibly, and in a way to interest the children ; 
they are made famihar with the growth of plants, the 
habits of insects, the appearance, songs, and migration 
of the different kinds of birds, etc., and are encouraged in 
making simple nature-observation for themselves. In 
the higher grades this teaching merges into more specifically 
agricultural and scientific work. 

2. School gardens are becoming more numerous through- 
out Canada ; Ontario probably takes the lead in this respect. 
Sir William Macdonald, who is devoting very large sums to 
the development of the more practical side of education, 
has inaugurated a number of school gardens in Ontario, 
Quebec, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and (I think) 
British Columbia. 

As of possible interest in this connection, I may mention 
a plan carried out by the Halifax Local Council of Women 
to encourage a love of gardening among city children. 
Seeds of six hardy varieties of flowers are bought wholesale 
in the spring, and sold through the school teachers to 
children desiring them at cost price. Each child for six 
cents (threepence) got a package containing small packages 



234 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



of tlie six kinds of seed, and simple printed directions for 
sowing and caring for tliem. An exliibition of flowers 
grown from these seeds was held in the month of August, 
and prizes given for the best bouquets, and also for " com- 
positions " on the raising of flowers. Last year some 6,000 
children bought the seeds, and the exhibition of flowers 
was quite remarkable, even the children from the poorer 
parts of the city having done remarkably well. I am in 
hopes other " local councils " will follow us in this work. 

3, In regard to the status and prospects of professional 
women gardeners in Canada, I have been unable to get much 
information. Few, if any women here, have deliberately 
chosen this calling as their hfe's work. It must be remem- 
bered that almost every woman living in the country in 
Canada, whether married or not, has to do a large part, 
often all, of her own housework, servants of any kind 
being, except in the towns, almost unobtainable — in the 
North-West Provinces absolutely so ; this renders it 
difficult for her to undertake outdoor work that would 
occupy a great part of her time. I think all gentlewomen 
thinking of settling in the rural parts of Canada should 
fully realise the bearings of that most troublesome enigma, 
"the servant problem," which we have in its extremest 
form in this country. Apart from this I should imagine 
that gardening, in the neighbourhood of a good market, 
might be carried on by women with very satisfactory 
results — some capital and good business ability being 
supposed. 

I do not think there would be at present many openings 
in Canada for lady teachers of gardening, as such subjects 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 235 



as "nature-study," etc., are taught in tlie public schools 
by teachers of other subjects, and in the private schools 
(which, though the wealthier parents send their children 
to them, are generally inferior from a pedagogical point of 
view to the public or free schools) nature-study is very 
little attended to. 

A career for women that might offer inducements to 
some is that of " orchardist," which in Nova Scotia especi- 
ally pays well, and is in many ways agreeable. I know of 
many married women who assist their husbands in the 
apple orchards, and at least one, a widow, I think, who 
owns and manages a large orchard with great success ; 
and there are probably many others. Of course, capital 
is required, and some knowledge of local conditions. 

4. In regard to opportunities for the education of lady 
gardeners, I may say that in all agricultural and other 
colleges supported by public money women are received 
and taught on precisely the same terms as men. This 
includes the Agricultural College at Truro, Nova Scotia, 
Prince of Wales College, Charlottetown, Prince Edward 
Island (which has agricultural courses), the Agricultural 
College at Guelph, Ontario, and the Macdonald College at St. 
Anne, Bellevue, Quebec. The latter is said to be the most 
advanced and well-equipped institution of its kind in 
America. 

THE MACDONALD SCHOOL GARDENS 

The following information relative to the School 
Garden movement is taken from a paper written 
by Mr. R. H. Cowley, and originally published in 
the Queen's Quarterly, 



236 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



In the spring of 1904 a group of school gardens went 
into operation in each of the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, 
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. 
These school gardens are associated with Sir WiUiam C. 
Macdonald's plans for the improvement of Canadian schools, 
and they constitute a notable feature of the general scheme 
devised by Professor James W. Robertson, director of the 
Macdonald educational movement. 

At a meeting of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, 
in 1890, a paper on horticultural education for children was 
read by Mr. Henry Lincoln Clapp, master of George Putnam 
School, Roxbury, Mass. At this school a garden was estab- 
hshed the following year as a result of the interest awakened. 
This garden, which appears to have been the first of its kind 
in the United States, was devoted exclusively to native 
wild plants until 1901, when a vegetable plot was added. 
Here and there within the past decade, and with various 
objects in view, the idea has been employed by private 
citizens, charitable associations, commercial firms, horti- 
cultural societies, and a few educational institutions, but 
as yet the school garden has not become an organic feature 
of any state system of education. 

In Canada the school garden idea has also received 
some recognition prior to the Macdonald movement. 
For several years a very successful and quite extensive 
garden for boys has been conducted at Broadview, Toronto, 
by Captain Atkinson, of the Boys' Brigade Institute. 
Here and there throughout the Dominion, floriculture has 
been encouraged to some extent in the elementary schools. 
Under the aggressive advocacy of Dr. A. H. MacKay, 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 237 



Superintendent of Education, wiiose faith, in all branches 
of nature -study has been fully justified by his works, 
Nova Scotia has taken a leading place in establishing 
school gardens. In 1903 there were 52 school gardens in 
the province. Last July 79 in all were reported. The 
special courses in agriculture and nature -study, recently 
provided for teachers, has had a considerable influence 
in promoting the school garden movement, though outside 
the Macdonald gardens few are yet more than temporary 
efiorts of the teacher for the time being. 

It is apparent that three leading motives underlie the 
origin and growth of school gardens in Europe : — (1) to 
provide a convenient means of supplementing the 
teachers' income, thereby simplifying the problem of 
maintaining the public school ; (2) to promote a practical 
knowledge of horticulture and agriculture, thereby increas- 
ing the national prosperity ; (3) to furnish means and 
material for the practical study of botany as a desirable 
department of scientific knowledge. 

The vast majority of European school gardens look to 
utiHty. Of the few that recognise the importance of the 
educational end, nearly all stop short at the acquisition of 
a certain amount of scientific information and the habit 
of careful observation. On the other hand, the Macdonald 
School Gardens, while designed to encourage the cultivation 
of the soil as an ideal life-work, are intended to promote 
above all things else symmetrical education of the individual. 
They do not aim at education to the exclasion of utility, 
but they seek education through utility, and utility through 
education. The garden is the means, the pupil is the end. 



238 GARDENING FOE WOMEN 



The Macdonald School Gardens are a factor in an educational 
movement, and for this reason Professor Eobertson sought 
to have them brought under the Education Department, 
and not under the Department of Agriculture, in each pro- 
vince. The fact that the various provinces already referred 
to have passed orders in council incorporating the Mac- 
donald School Gardens into their educational systems at 
once places these school gardens on a broader educational 
basis than that occupied by the school gardens of any other 
state or country. 

The Ontario Government has p^o^^ded special courses 
at Guelph to train teachers in the practical educational 
aspects of this new work. An initial grant of one hundred 
dollars, as well as an annual grant, is oSered to any rural 
school section estabhshing a school garden. At Truro, 
and elsewhere in the Maritime Provinces, suitable courses 
for teachers are also provided. In New Brunswick, annual 
grants of thirty dollars to the Board of Trustees are given 
where a garden is established at an elementary school. In 
Quebec, extensive preparations for the training of teachers 
in the new lines of education are under way. 

The Macdonald School Gardens not only have a recog- 
nised place in the provincial systems of education, but they 
are attached to the ordinary rural schools, owned by the 
school corporation and conducted under the authority of 
the school trustees and the express approval of the rate- 
payers. 

The work of the garden is recognised as a legitimate part 
of the school programme, and it is already interwoven with 
a considerable part of the other studies. The garden is 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 239 



becoming tlie outer classroom of tlie school, and tlie plots 
are its blackboards. The garden is not an innovation, or 
an excrescence, or an addendum, or a diversion. It is a 
happy field of expression, an organic part of the school in 
which the boys and girls work among growing things 
and grow themselves in body and mind and spiritual 
outlook. 

The true relation of the garden to the school has been 
in good part established by the travelhng instructors 
whom Professor Kobertson appointed to supervise the v,^ork 
in each province. These instructors were chosen as teachers 
of experience in rural schools, and were sent for special 
preparation, at the expense of the Macdonald fund, to 
Chicago, Cornell, Columbia, and Clark universities, and to 
the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph. 

THE SCHOOL GARDENS OP CAELETON COUNTY, ONTARIO 

The county of Carleton was selected by Prof. Robertson 
for the initiation of school gardens in Ontario, and the work 
that is being carried on here is typical of what is being 
done in the other four provinces. In all five gardens have 
been established under the Macdonald fund in Carleton 
County. Two of these are placed at Carp and Galetta, 
points on the Canada Atlantic Railway, distant twenty 
and thirty-three miles respectively from Ottawa. A third 
is located at Richmond, a small incorporated village in the 
heart of the county, distant from the capital about twenty 
miles by stage. The remaining gardens are situated at 
North Gower and Bowesville, the former about twenty- 
five miles and the latter five miles from the city. As the 



240 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



five schools at whicli these gardens have been established 
are from seven to fifteen miles apart, the experiment is 
being brought fairly mider the scrutiny of the entire county. 
The garden at Kichmond is within a short distance of the 
grounds of the County Agricultural Society, and will 
annually be open to the inspection of many hundred 
visitors to the fair. Already the gardens have attracted 
much local attention, and last autumn the products of the 
gardens won about a hundred dollars in prizes, given both 
by the agricultural societies and by private citizens who 
have taken a generous interest in this educational experi- 
ment. 

After full discussion with trustees and ratepayers each 
garden was established under the direct approval and control 
of the school board concerned, and in harmony with the 
already existing regulations of the Education Department, 
which provide in a general way for instruction in agriculture 
and nature-study, and also for enlarging school grounds. 
It is worthy of note that while the ratepayers interested were 
not indifferent to the question of expense involved, they 
paid special attention to the fact that they were being 
asked to take up an experiment of a very novel nature 
which required a marked departure from the beaten path 
of elementary school work. Thus the educational aspects 
of school gardens were specially considered, the result 
being that the people have taken up the enterprise with an 
open-minded interest that has already carried the experi- 
ment far on the way to success. 

The size of the gardens, including the usual school 
grounds, is in each case two acres, excepting the garden at 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 241 



Richmond, which contains three acres. Where additional 
land had to be acquired, the Macdonald fund bore half the 
cost, as also the whole cost of fencing and preparing the 
garden, erecting garden shed and providing the necessary- 
tools, etc. The cost of maintenance of the garden is like- 
wise met by the Macdonald fund for a period of three years. 
For the same period Sir WiUiam Macdonald pays the salary 
of the travelling instructor, Mr. J. W. Gibson, who visits 
each garden one day per week to assist the teachers in 
directing the garden work of the pupils, to give lessons in 
certain practical aspects of nature-study, and generally 
to encourage the association of the garden work with the 
ordinary exercises of the classrooms. 

One of the most useful accessories to the school garden 
is the garden shed, which is used for storing tools and pro- 
duce, and for carrying on work not suited to the classroom, 
such as preparing tickets and labels, analysing soils, assort- 
ing seeds, arranging plants, etc. The average cost of the 
garden sheds is about seventy-five dollars. They are of 
various shapes and sizes, according to the number of pupils 
to be accommodated. A popular plan is that of a shed, ten 
feet by twenty feet, with an extension on one side about 
five feet wide, and finished as a greenhouse. This obviates 
the necessity of having special hotbeds. The garden tools 
are disposed along the walls of the shed in places numbered 
to accord with the numbering of the pupils' plots. Along 
one side of each shed is a bench or table of plain boards, 
about eighteen inches wide, running close to the wall, 
along which are several small windows giving abundant 
light to pupils engaged in practical work. 
Q 



242 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



The cHef tools and implements requisite to tlie school 
garden are hoes, rakes, hand weeders, garden Hnes, one or 
two spades and shovels, a wheelbarrow, hammer, saw, 
nails, etc. The pupils, as a rule, require only hoes, rakes 
and hand weeders. Those pupils who are sufficiently 
mature to work a plot by themselves, or along with a 
companion, can get along very well with hoes and rakes 
of the average size. In one case, where smaller tools were 
supplied, the pupils abandoned them after a little practice 
for those of the standard size. 

While the plan of laying out the gardens varies 
according to soil, surface and location, the arrangement 
of the Bowesville garden suggests the general features that 
have been kept in view. These include a belt of ornamental 
native trees and shrubs surrounding the grounds ; two 
v/alks, each about one hundred yards long, between rows 
of trees ; a playground about half an acre in area for 
boys ; a lawn of about a quarter of an acre for the girls, 
bordered with some light and graceful shade, such as the 
cut-leaf birch ; a small orchard, in which are grown a few 
varieties of the fruit trees most profitable to the district ; 
a forest plot, in which the most important Canadian trees 
will be grown from seed and by transplanting ; a plot for 
cultivating the wild herbs, vines and shrubs of the district ; 
space for individual plots and special experimental plots ; 
an attractive approach to the school, including open lawn, 
large flowering plants, foliage, rockery, ornamental shrubs, 
etc. 

The special experimental plots are, as a rule, larger than 
the individual plots. They are used for such purposes 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 243 



as tlie special study of rotation of crops, values of fertilisers, 
effects of spraying, selection of seeds, merits of soils, pro- 
ductiveness and quality of different varieties of crops, and 
many other similar subjects. At one school a special study 
was made of corn, clover, tomatoes, and cabbage ; at another 
beans, peas, beets, and potatoes occupied the experimental 
plots ; and at still another, some extra attention was given 
to plots of pumpkins, squash, cabbage, and cauliflower. 
At all the gardens special plots will be devoted to small 
fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, and 
currants. The experimental plots vary in area from 
200 to 2,000 square feet, but where the extent 
of ground is restricted the experiments may be success- 
fully carried out on plots of a much smaller average 
size. 

The gardens are managed throughout on the basis of 
individual ownership, individual effort and individual 
responsibiHty on the part of the pupils. At all the gardens 
the pupils are given plots that are solely their own. Ac- 
cording to the age and strength of the pupils, these plots 
vary in si5.e from 72 square feet to 120 square feet. At 
some schools eactL pupil iias two plots, one for vegetables, 
etc., and the other for flowers. In other cases the flowers 
and vegetables are kept in different parts of the same plot. 
The former plan presents no inconvenience, and is found 
to contribute to the general appearance of the garden. At 
one of the school gardens the pupils' plots were uniformly 
10 feet wide by 20 feet in length, each plot being worked 
in partnership, a junior pupil working with a senior pupil 
in each case, Though very good results were secured by 



244 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



this metliod, the instructor considers the individual method 
preferable, and will pursue it in future. 

NOVA 5C0TIA 

Nature-study is here taken very seriously. 
The following extracts from a leaflet issued to 
every teacher in the province by the Educational 
Department will show how thoroughly and system- 
atically the matter is dealt with. 

LOCAL " NATURE " OBSERVATIONS 

This sheet is provided for the purpose of aiding teachers 
to interest their pupils in observing the times of the regular 
procession of natural phenomena each season. First, it 
may help the teacher in doing some of the " Nature " 
lesson work of the Course of Study ; secondly, it may aid 
in procuring valuable information for the locality and 
province. Two copies are provided for each teacher who 
wishes to conduct such observations, 07ie to be preserved 
as the property of the section for reference from year to 
year ; the other to be sent in with the return to the 
inspector, who will transmit it to the superintendent for 
examination and compilation. 

Whsit is desired is to have recorded in these forms the 
dates of the first leafing, flowering and fruiting of plants 
and trees ; the first appearance in the locahty of birds 
migrating north in spring or south in autumn, etc. "WTiile 
the objects specified here are given so as to enable com- 
parison to be made between the difierent sections of the 
province, it is very desirable that other local phenomena 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 245 



of a similar kind be recorded. Every locality has a flora, 
fauna, climate, etc., more or less distinctly its own ; and 
the more common trees, shrubs, plants, crops, etc., are 
those which will be most valuable from a local point of 
view in comparing the characters of a series of 
seasons. 

Teachers will find it one of the most convenient means 
for the stimulation of pupils in observing all natural 
phenomena when going to and from the school, and some 
pupils radiate as far as two miles from the schoolroom. 
The " nature-study " under these conditions would thus 
be mainly undertaken at the most convenient time, with- 
out encroaching on school time ; while on the other hand 
it will tend to break up the monotony of school travel, 
fill an idle and wearisome hour with interest, and be one 
of the most valuable forms of educational discipHne. 
The eyes of a whole school daily passing over a whole 
school section will let very little escape notice, especially 
if the fijst observer of each annually recurring phenomenon 
receives credit as the first observer of it for the year. The 
observations will be accurate, as the facts must be demon- 
strated by the most undoubted evidence, such as the bring- 
ing of the specimens to the school when possible or 
necessary. 

To all observers the following most important, most 
essential principles of recording are emphasised : Better 
no date, no kecord, than a wrong one or a doubtful 
one. Sports out of season due to very local conditions 
not common to at least a small field, should not be recorded 
except parenthetically. The date to be recorded for the 



246 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



purposes of compilation with, those of other localities 
should be the first of the many of its kind following imme- 
diately after it. For instance, a butterfly emerg- 
ing from its chrysalis in a sheltered cranny by 
a southern window in January would not be an indica- 
tion of the general climate, but of the peculiarly 
heated nook in which the chrysalis was sheltered ; nor 
would a flower in a semi-artificial, warm shelter give the 
date required. When these sports out of season occur, 
they might also be recorded, but within a parenthesis to 
indicate the peculiarity of some of the conditions afiecting 
their early appearance. 

These schedules should be sent in to the inspector with 
the annual school returns in July, containing the observa- 
tions made during the whole school year and back as far 
as the preceding July (if possible), when the schedule of 
the previous school year was necessarily completed and 
sent in. 

A duplicate copy of the schedule of observations should 
be securely attached to the school register for the year, so 
that the series of annual observations may be preserved in 
each locality. The new 'register has a page for such 
records. 

Remember to fill in carefully and distinctly the date, 
locality, and other blanks at the head of the schedule on 
the next page ; for if either the date or the locality or the 
name of the responsible compiler should be omitted the 
whole paper is worthless and cannot be bound up for 
preservation in the volume of The Phenological Obser- 
vations. 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 247 

PHENOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, CANADA 
(1906 Schedule) 
For the year ending July, 190 . 

Province County 

District locality or Scliool Section 

No 

[The estimated length, and breadth of the locahty 

within which the following observations were made X 

miles. Estimated distance from the sea-coast 

miles. Estimated altitude above the sea level 

feet. 

Slope or general exposure of the region 

General character of the soil and surface 

Proportion of forest and its character 

Does the region include lowlands or intervales ? 

and if so name the main river or stream Or 

is it all substantially highlands ? 

Any other pecuharity tending to affect vegetation ? 



The most central Post Office of the locality or region 



Name and Adduess of the Teacher or other Com- 
piler OF the Observations responsible for their 

ACCURACY, 



2 ^ 



Wild Plants, etc. — Nomenclature as in " Spottcn 
or Gray's Manual." 

Alder (Alnus incana), catkins shedding pollen 
Aspen (Popiilus tremuloides), „ 



248 GARDENING FOE WOMEN 

Phenological Observations . — Continued 



Name a^s^d address op the Teacher or other Com- 
piler OF THE Observations responsible for their 

ACCURACY. 




Mayflower (Epiga;a repens), flowering 
Field Horsetail (Equisetum arvense), shedding spores 
Blood-root (Sanguinaria Canadensis), flowering . 
White Violet (Viola blanda), flowering 
Etc., etc., etc. 
CULTIVATED Plants, etc. 
Red Currant (Ribes rubriim), flowering 
„ „ fruit ripe 

Black Currant (Ribes nigrum), flowering . 

,, „ fruit ripe 

Cherry (Prunus Cerasus), flowering 

„ „ fruit ripe . 

Plum (Prunus domestica), flowering . 

Etc., etc., etc. 
Farming Operations, etc. 
Ploughing begun ...... 

Sowing begun ....... 

Planting of Potatoes begun .... 

Shearing of Sheep ...... 

Hay Cutting ....... 

Grain Cutting ....... 

Potato Digging ...... 



Opening of (a) Rivers, (b) Lakes without currents 
La?;t Snow (a) to whiten ground, (b) to fly in air 
Last Spring Frost (a) "hard" (b) "hoar" 
Water in Streams, Rivers, etc., (a) highest, (b) lowest 
First Autumn Frosts (a) " hoar " (b) " hard " . 
First Snow (a) to fly in air, (b) to whiten ground 
Closincr of (a) Lakes without currents, (b) Rivers 
Number of Thunder-storms (with dates of each) 



(Meteorologiual Phenomena). 



GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 249 
Phenological Observations . — Continued 

, Feb , Mar 

, May.. , June 

Aug... , Sept 

, Nov , Dec 





Going North 
or coming 
in Spring. 


Going South 
or leaving 
in Fall. 


MIGR4TI0N OF BiRDF!, ETC. 


















Song Sparrow (Melospiza faseiata) .... 






American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 






Slate-coloured Snow Bird (Junco hiemalis) 






Spotted Sand Piper (Actitis macularia) 






Meadow Lark (Sturnella magna) .... 






Kingfisher (Ceryle Alcyon) ..... 






Etc., etc., etc. 







AUSTRALIA 
VICTORIA 

SCHOOL OF HOETICULTURE IN RICHMOND PARK, 
MELBOURNE 

The site covers 33 acres of ground; In 1890 the Govern- 
ment decided to start here an institution for the training of 
orchardists and small settlers, and during the past eight 
years much has been done to provide for teaching the 
regular and casual students, and those visitors calling in 
search of special information. Classroom instruction 
is given in horticultural science, vegetable pathology, 
botany, physical and commercial geography, entomology ; 



Jan. 
Apr. 
July 
Oct.. 



250 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



measuring, levelling, designing, and plotting of homesteads, 
orcliards,' small farm and garden areas, and the most 
approved methods of raising and managing fruit trees 
and plants. Practical work includes the propagation 
and management of orchard trees, citrons, table grapes, 
bush fruits ; harvesting, storing, packing, marketing, 
drying and canning fruit ; vegetable culture ; clearing, 
grading, and trenching land ; management of soils, manures, 
drainage, and villa gardening. 

The principal and his assistant carry out this programme 
by affording lessons daily in the classroom and field. 
In 1899 women students were first admitted. They have 
for the most part devoted their attention to the designing 
and making of villa gardens, vegetables and herb culture, 
and the special cultivation of table grapes and lemons — 
branches of commercial horticulture most suited to women. 
Previous to 1903 instruction was free, but a fee of £5 per 
annum is now charged. There is a steady advance in the 
number of students, and every indication of the school 
doing generally helpful work in the service of the 
State. 

The school year extends from February to Decem- 
ber. 

The tabulated return on the following page of 
persons engaged in agricultural pursuits in 1901 
is of interest. Only those subjects bearing reference 
specially to horticulture are mentioned. 

A lady near Melbourne has recently bought a 
place and laid out a garden. There is about one 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 251 



Persons folloxoing 
Agricultural Pursuits. 


Employers 
of Labour. 


In Business on 
their own 
account, but 
not employing 
labour. 


Receiving 
Salary or 
Wages. 


Relatives 
assisting. 


Market Gardeners 
Fruit Growers ) 

Hop, Cotton, Tea, 1 
Coffee Grower J 
Tobacco Grower 
Vine Grower! 
Vigneron j 
Horticulturist 


Males 

859 
493 

10 
10 
174 
237 


F'm'es 

19 
44 

2 

18 
7 


Males 

1,647 

868 

7 
25 
72 
571 


F'm'os 

32 
91 

8 

17 


Males 

1,518 
700 

48 
24 
1,131 
2.132 


F'm'es 

9 
43 

48 

6 
7 


Males 

576 
465 

9 
1 
86 
107 


Female 

132 
172 

2 

39 
39 



acre of ground, and a five-roomed cottage with 
various outhouses, etc. The whole cost about 
£400, and has since increased in value. A tele- 
phone is attached, and a good many people in 
Melbourne ring up when they want flowers. These 
are despatched direct to the buyers by train, the 
station being only ten minutes' walk from the 
house. All the flowers are hardy ones. The 
work is done by a gardener, who comes when 
wanted, and the rest is done by the lady herself. 
There has not so far been much profit, as it has 
only been started two years. As the garden is 
now well-established, it is supposed it will pay 
well in August, September, October, and Novem- 
ber, which are the best months in Melbourne. 

NEW SOUTH WALES 

" We are a young community and also a small 
one, otherwise we should have had at least a small 
college for lady gardeners ere now," is the answer 



252 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



that comes to my inquiry on tlie subject. I am 
told, however, that there is fine scope for such 
a thing, and that the women of New South Wales 
are quite ready for it. Up to now they have 
chiefly confined themselves to bettering the con- 
ditions of labour in those departments voluntarily 
sought by women, rather than to forming new 
schemes. 

TASMANIA 

Accounts which come to us of the possibilities 
of the successful cultivation of fruits, trees and 
plants are all favourable. The mildness of the 
winter and the great amount of sunshine cause 
very rapid growth and production of fruit. Plants 
that will not survive an English winter need no 
protection here. We learn, too, that the acreage 
of gardens and orchards is steadily on the increase. 

There are so far no training schools for lady 
gardeners, and no posts are held by them either 
in private gardens or market gardens. The jam 
factories employ women, but these belong to the 
working classes. Nothing definite can therefore 
be held out as to the future for lady gardeners, 
beyond the certainty that the more directing 
heads we have, superintending the development 
of these orchards and gardens, the more successful 
they will be. 



CHAPTER XVIII 



TRAINING GROUNDS FOR MARKET GARDENERS. 

Special opportunities are afforded to those who 
intend to devote their attention to the study of 
market-garden work. I am enabled, by the 
courtesy of the principals, to give the following 
information concerning some successful market 
gardens which are conducted by ladies, and 
where pupils are received. This I have supple- 
mented with details of such facilities as are offered 
by public bodies for courses of instruction in the 
work. 

THE violet nurseries AT HENFIELD, SUSSEX. 
Proprietors : Misses A. and D. Allen-Brown. 

The Violet Nurseries, instituted a few years ago in 
a small garden, now extend over several acres, and are 
carried forward on practical business lines. 

The Misses Allen-Brown, specialist violet growers, do 
the entire work of the nurseries, with the assistance of a 
boy and of any pupils who may be with them. 

Pupils are received on payment of five guineas premium 

253 



254 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



for a year's tuition. The instruction given is entirely 
practical. Arrangements are made to obtain rooms for 
pupils in tlie village, tlie charges being (approximately) 
one guinea for a single room and board, and fifteen shillings 
each for a room shared. 

The work of the year is, in general : — ^In spring, the 
taking of cuttings and planting out ; in summer, the tending 
of plants and cutting of runners ; in autumn, the lifting 
into frames, and the selHng, packing and despatching of 
plants and flowers ; in winter, the picking of blossoms 
and the tending of plants in frames. Of the four, spring 
is the busiest and most instructive season for violet- 
growers, but it is advisable that pupils should, if possible, 
remain in the nurseries for the full year. 

The work is exceedingly healthy — above all other 
open-air employments — owing to the fact that the smell 
of \'iolets has medicinal qualities. The pleasure of the 
work proves its ample reward, apart from the pecuniary 
success, to all who give themselves to it, unreservedly, 
with physical and mental vigour. 

Amongst ladies who are supervising, or them- 
selves undertaking, market gardens, are the fol- 
lowing. They all write hopefully about their 
work, but seem of one accord in thinking that it 
is only by the combination of their brains and 
the work of a labouring man that success ensues. 

Miss Dora Groome, at Heath Nursery Gardens, 
Petersfield, has the largest nursery garden in the neigh- 
bourhood, but only employs men. 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 255 



Miss A. Ceoss, Cleveland, Bere Alston, Devon, writes 
that, Laving been trained at Studley College, she has 
lately started a nursery garden. At present the garden 
is only three-quarters of an acre in extent, but it is pro- 
posed to add to it each year. It will be eventually a 
fruit and asparagus market garden, supplemented by poultry 
and milking goats. 

Miss Birtell and her sisters have a violet farm at 
the Cottage, Shripney, near Bognor. They do all the 
work in connection with the violets themselves, and also 
make the frames and glaze and paint the lights. A labour- 
ing man does the rough digging. Miss Birtell has two 
acres of land and about half of it is devoted only to the 
violets; 

HOLLY BUSH NURSERY, CHESNUT LANE, AMERSHAM, 
BUCKS 

Miss M. Agar and Miss M. G. Holmes, directors of 
this garden, are willing to take ladies as students in simple 
land surveying and plan drawing. Terms for tuition are 
£2 2s. per week ; and if students live at the nursery, 30s. 
a week is charged for board and lodging. 

Gardening students will probably be admitted shortly, 
but the garden has not been started long enough to take 
these at present. Miss Agar is a garden designer. The 
following are particulars of her nursery garden : — 

The Nursery undertakes the laying out, stocking, 
and up-keep of gardens, and provides seeds, bulbs, plants 
shrubs, and all garden requisites. 

Skilled gardening labour is supplied at 4s: a day; 
Yearly or monthly contracts^can be made. 



256 GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



Advisory work is undertaken at a guinea for the first 
visit, and half-a-guinea for subsequent visits ; or two guineas 
a week with all expenses. 

Miss A: Bateson, Bashley Nursery, New Milton, 
Hants, has a most successful market garden, described on 
p. 73. She sometimes takes students, and her terms 
are £40 premium for a year's work without residence ; 
£100 per annum premium with board and residence. 

Miss Dixon, F.K.H.S., holding the Horticultural 
College, Swanley, diploma, and 1st class Horticultural 
certificate. South Kensington, assisted by Miss Eve, 
R.H.S., receives students at Elmcroft Nursery, Westergate, 
Chichester, suitable rooms being provided in the village. 
The house stands in two acres of ground, four miles from 
Bognor, and six from Chichester. Both soil and chmate 
are good. There are 300 ft. of glass, in which are grown 
melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, peaches, strawberries, forced 
rhubarb and seakale, early vegetables, roses, chrysanthe- 
mums, bulbs, etc. Outside are grown roses, sweet peas, 
violets, and other flowers ; vegetables of all sorts, and 
fruit. 

Poultry and ducks are kept, and there is also jam making 
and fruit bottling. 

The produce is chiefly sent to Bognor, Chichester, and 
Manchester, and private orders are suppHed for weekly 
hampers of vegetables, eggs, and cut flowers. 

A man is kept to help with the rough work. 

In 1907 Miss Dixon obtained the R.H.S. Silver Medal 
for melons, and second prize for fruit, flowers, and jam 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 257 



from the Women's Agricultural and Horticultural Inter- 
national Union. 

Although the following is not a school for 
instruction in horticulture, I should like to mention 
it, as young ladies are taught floral decoration and 
other matters, which may prove of great use to 
them, if they wish to start job gardening or decor- 
ation for themselves. 

The Women's London Gardening Association, estab- 
lished in 1891, undertakes floral decorations of all kinds. 
Cut flowers supplied regularly by contract, and arranged 
if desired. Wreaths, crosses, sprays, bouquets, baskets, 
dinner-tables, receptions, ballrooms, platforms, weddings, etc. 
Table decorations are a speciality. Jobbing gardening work 
is also done. Contracts are taken to keep in order, and 
furnish, gardens, conservatories, window-boxes, balconies, 
roof -gardens, etc., by the year or season. 

Advice is given on the management of country or sub- 
urban gardens at reasonable fees. Lawns are sown and 
kept in order, gravel is supplied, soils, fibre, sand, flower- 
pots, retail. Seeds, bulbs, etc. 

The above is under the management of Mrs. T. Chamber- 
lain, and all communications should be addressed to her 
at 107, Pimlico Road, Chelsea, S.W. 

The nursery is in St. Ann's Place, Milman Street, 
Chelsea, and the old wells in it were once in Sir Thomas 
More's garden. 

Mrs. Chamberlain takes one or two young ladies from 

R 



258 



GAKDENING FOR WOMEN 



time to time, as apprentices or improvers to learn jobbing 
gardening, florist's work, or both if desired. Terms for 
improvers who have already had some training, 10s. per 
week to start with. The terms for a course, £30. The 
ladies find their own board and lodging, xifter three 
months, Mrs. Chamberlain pays them 2s. 6d. per week, 
and after six months 5s. per w^eek. For the last quarter 
of their training, ladies receive 7s. 6d. per week. Some- 
times ladies are taken for four months, upon payment 
by them of £10 10s. 

Should it prove desirable, they can, at the end of this 
time, pay a further sum and remain a year. Pupils are 
expected to be ready to do anything required, and are 
not allowed to pick and choose their work. 

The following extracts from the report of the 

WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL CLUB 

will serve to show the scope of its object and work. 
The club has as its premises the Manor House, 
Bredon's Norton, near Tewkesbury, Worcester- 
shire. 

There are few more beautiful spots in rural England 
than the little village of Bredon's Norton in Worcester- 
shire, nesthng as it does at the base of the lofty Bredon 
Hill and overlooking the fertile valley of the Severn. 
The club-house stands on a gentle eminence, and from its 
broad terraces may be viewed some of the most lovely 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 259 



scenery in England. Abruptly behind it rises the Bredon 
Beacon Hill, of which a great poet wrote : 

" Twelve lovely counties saw the blaze 
From Bredon's lonely height." 

The hill is crowned by the remains of a Roman encamp- 
ment, thrown up, it is said, during the wars of the Romans 
against Boadicea, the Queen of the Iceni. 

The hopeless intellectual outlook of agricultural pur- 
suits dissevered from contact with the foremost thought 
and scientific experiments of to-day has driven the enter- 
prising progressive workers of both sexes from the land 
to the towns. 

Miss Woodhull, of Norton Park, Bredon's Norton, 
near Tewkesbury, who has gone deeply into the agricul- 
tural problem, more especially the great need for the 
extension of intensive culture, has retained a fine old 
Elizabethan manor house on her estate, which she has 
renovated and filled with beautiful old furniture for the 
club. 

Since the lighter branches of agriculture have taken 
such a prominent place on the Hst of suitable occupations 
for women, there has been a great demand for some place 
where the subjects could be studied for short or long 
periods. Though short courses are held no college as 
yet has filled this want. 

Where a large number of students are together it is 
necessary to have a certain number of rules which compel 
them to lead the ordinary college life. In many cases 
it is not convenient to do this, and so many a woman 



260 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



who sometimes finds she has a week or two at her disposal 
and would very much like to come to a place of this sort 
is debarred from doing so. 

It is hoped this club will do much to solve the problem 
of what is to be done with the healthy, energetic unmarried 
woman of the present day, who has a little capital, and who 
^vishes to live in the country, instead of leading a narrow 
and restricted life in towns. In Bredon's Norton in a simple 
way she can live her own life, have congenial employment, 
and at the same time add to her income without being 
cut off from associating with people of her own standing, 
or debarred from intellectual occupations, which is so 
often the result if an isolated country life is led devoted 
entirely to agricultural pursuits. 

The result, so far, is satisfactory. The scheme is in 
its second year, and has earned a right to its recognition 
by the public. Since January, 1906, several cottages have 
been secured in the village, and have been made suitable 
for gentlewomen to reside in. These have all been taken 
by those who carry on whatever work they are interested 
in. Some members have taken up half-acre plots, and 
among other things are growing tomatoes in large 
quantities. 

The club is unique of its kind ; while combining oppor- 
tunities for the higher intellectual pursuits and attracting 
those who have travelled and read extensively, it enables 
those who wish to specialise in the lighter branches of 
agriculture to carry out their work under the following 
conditions : 

1. Members staying at the club will be able to take 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 261 



lessons in gardening, dairy or poultry work, or bee-keeping, 
for long or short periods. 

2. Members who have trained at any of the existing 
colleges can reside at the club and rent small plots, from 
half an acre upwards, which will enable them to make 
a start either in market gardening or otherwise with very 
little outlay. 

3. A horticultural school is carried on in connection 
with the club. The younger students under the necessary 
supervision will live in separate houses. 

' 4. Members can attend the higher courses at Cheltenham 
Ladies' College. 

5. Members who reside in the village or immediate 
neighbourhood can obtain all meals at the club at a very 
moderate tariff. This is an important item, as gentle- 
women are often deterred from settling in the country on 
account of the great difficulty of getting anyone to do 
the necessary cooking and housework ; by being able to 
obtain their meals they are more or less independent of 
the servant question and manage very well with occasional 
help. 

The library contains standard books of reference in 
the lighter branches of agriculture, besides a wide range 
of other subjects, together with the principal English and 
foreign magazines. 

An experienced secretary and typist is at the disposal 
of members. The telephone is attached to the club ; the 
principal houses and cottages in the village are connected 
by telephone; 

The club house is situated 106 miles from London,- 



262 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



16 miles from Gloucester, 14 miles from Worcester, 14 
miles from Evesham, 11 miles from Cheltenham, 11 miles 
from Malvern, 5 miles from Tewkesbury, and 5 miles from 
Pershore. 

TARIFF 

Resident members : breakfast, Is. ; dinner (middle 
day). Is. 6d. ; afternoon tea, 6d. and 9d. ; high tea. Is. ; 
plain late dinner, 2s. 6d. ; supper. Is. 6d. ; cocoa and cake, 
3d. Rooms from Is. 6d. per night. Meals for non-resident 
members, permanently living in cottages, 15s. per week. 

LIST OF CHARGES 
VISITORS 

Terms per week, 2 guineas, to include : Breakfast, Is. ; 
dinner (middle day). Is. 6d. ; afternoon tea, 6d. ; supper, 
Is. 6d. ; room. Is. 6d. Rooms from Is. 6d. per night. 
Meals for non-resident visitors as per charges on tariff 
card. 

WEEK-END VISITORS 

From middle day, Saturday, to middle day, Monday, 
17s. 6d. (to include breakfast, mid-day dinner, after- 
noon tea, and supper, also room). 

Arrangements can be made for boarding dogs. 



The following scheme is in operation under the 
Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruc- 
tion for Ireland. Any woman, of whose qualifica- 
tions the above department approves, is eligible 
for the post of instructor imder this scheme, w^hich, 
by permission, I am allowed to reproduce. It will 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 263 



be seen that the actual appointment rests with the 
local authorities. 

Miss Lucy Douglas, in Cavan, is at present 
the only woman gardener employed under it. 

SCHEME OP INSTRUCTION IN HORTICULTURE AND THE 
MANAGEMENT OF BEES, 1907-8 

1. The department are prepared, provided a suitable 
instructor in horticulture and bee-keeping can be obtained, 
to approve of the appointment of at least one such person 
for each county in Ireland. In the case of new appoint- 
ments no person shall be eligible for the position of instructor 
in the county of which he is a native, or in which he per- 
manently resides. 

2. The department will, as far as possible, assist the 
county committee in obtaining an instructor, by supplying 
the names of persons qualified for the post. If a county 
committee should find it impossible to obtain a person 
competent to give instruction in both branches the depart- 
ment may sanction the employment of separate instructors 
for each subject. 

3. The remuneration of the instructor shall not, unless 
in exceptional circumstances, exceed £2 per week, in 
addition to expenses of locomotion, which include second 
or third-class railway fare, as decided by the county 
committee, car hire when necessary, or a bicycle allowance 
not exceeding 2d. per mile in lieu thereof. 

4. The employment of the instructor under this scheme 
shall not continue beyond the 30th of September, 1908, 
and is terminable at any time previous to that date by 



264 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



the giving of four weeks' notice in writing on either 
side. 

5. It will be the duty of the instructor to give demon- 
strations and, if approved, to deliver lectures on horticultural 
subjects, such as soils, manures, vegetable, fruit, and 
flower cultivation, plant diseases, and insect pests — ^to 
visit gardens and orchards, and give practical demonstra- 
tions on spraying, planting, pruning and grafting of fruit 
trees — ^to conduct such experiments and other demonstra- 
tions in the spring and summer as may be approved by 
the department — to select suitable land for this purpose — 
to supervise the sowing of the seeds and manures, and the 
keeping of the plots free from weeds — ^to weigh the produce, 
tabulate the figures, and prepare a report on the results — 
to give instruction in the principles and practice of modern 
bee-keeping — to deal with diseases of bees, plants, and 
trees — to advise farmers, cottagers, and others interested 
in land, as to the planting of trees, etc., for shelter and 
ornament — to reply to letters from those seeking his advice 
on horticultural and bee-keeping subjects — ^to report to 
the department and to the county committee on the 
progress of his work either weekly or otherwise, as may be 
required ; and generally to give his whole time to the 
work and to do all in his power to further the interests 
of horticulture and bee-keeping in the county. 

6. The instructor shall report to the county committee 
on all cases of foul brood which may come under his notice. 
He may, subject to the consent of the owner of the bees 
being previously obtained by him, destroy infected stocks 
by burning them, and shall take all due precautions against 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 265 



the spread of the disease. He must advise in writing the 
county committee of each case in which stocks are so 
destroyed, and the county committee may, if they think 
fit, pay to the owners of such stocks a sum not exceeding 
5s. for each stock destroyed, provided that the amount 
set aside in the county scheme for compensation under this 
clause shall not be exceeded. 

It will also be his duty to report to the county committee 
the names and addresses of persons in the possession of 
gooseberry bushes on which he has detected, or has reason- 
able grounds for suspecting the existence of, American 
gposeberry mildew. 

7. For the purposes of this scheme the county should 
be divided into circuits. The instructor should work for 
three or four weeks in each circuit, and give lectures and 
demonstrations during that time. In cases, however, 
where an instructor may be employed to give instruction 
in bee-keeping only it will not be necessary to divide the 
county into circuits. In such instances demonstrations 
can be arranged for at centres from which applications 
have been made through the secretary of the county 
committee for his services. The instructor will visit 
gardens, orchards or apiaries in the district, and give such 
information on practical subjects as the circumstances of 
the case may suggest. 

The county committee are alone responsible for the 
selection of centres for lectures and demonstrations. No 
work of this nature should be undertaken by the instructor, 
though it is desirable that he should be consulted. 

8. It will be the duty of the county committee to 



266 C4ARDENING FOR WOMEN 



select centres at which the lectures and demonstrations 
will be given, and to appoint at each centre a local com- 
mittee, with an honorary secretary, who should select 
the school and arrange for the hiring, lighting, and warming 
of the room in which the lectures will be dehvered. 

In selecting centres the county committee should have 
particular regard to districts in which lectures and demon- 
strations may not have been given in previous years. 

It will also be the duty of the county committee to 
undertake the responsibility of seeing that the instructor's 
time is fully and usefully employed. 

The county committee shall keep a separate account of 
all expenditure under this scheme, and shall furnish detailed 
statements of such expenditure as may from time to time 
be required by the department. 

9. Where it is considered desirable to arrange for 
lectures, the lectures should be given in schoolrooms or 
other suitable pubhc rooms in the evenings, and should 
be held in rural centres. Towns and the larger villages 
should be avoided, as experience has shown that the 
greatest success attends those lectures which are given 
in the rural parts of a county. The local committee at 
each centre should be responsible for appointing a repre- 
sentative chairman for each lecture as well as for the 
distribution of the short syllabus of the lectures which will 
be prepared by the lecturer as soon as he is appointed. 
The local committee should undertake to have posters 
and handbills, which will be supplied by the secretary 
of the county committee, effectively displayed and dis- 
tributed throughout their district. Copies of these posters 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 267 



and handbills should be forwarded to the department at 
least a week prior to the commencement of each course of 
lectures. Each lecture should be followed by a discussion, 
during which persons interested in horticulture and bee- 
keeping will be invited to ask questions. Where a course 
of lectures has already been given a new syllabus should 
be presented. 

10. The county committee may purchase fruit, forest 
and other trees, shrubs, or plants, in bulk, and resell them 
at cost price, including carriage, to farmers, cottagers and 
other residents in the county. As, however, it has come 
to the knowledge of the department that trees and plants 
infested with disease have been imported into Ireland, it 
will be necessary for county committees who intend to 
put this clause into operation to invite from nurserymen 
tenders for the supply of trees, etc., to be guaranteed free 
from disease, and before acceptance to submit the tenders 
to the department for examination. The department 
may, if they think it advisable, inspect the trees, etc., 
that are offered for sale, and satisfy themselves that they 
are suitable and free from disease. 

11. The horticultural demonstrations should commence 
early in autumn and be continued throughout the whole 
year. 

12. In each circuit one demonstration plot may be 
provisionally selected for the purpose of growing fruit, 
vegetables, and flowers, and showing improved methods 
of cultivation, but no new plots shall be selected in a county 
if a sufficient number of suitable plots have been estabhshed 
in previous years. 



268 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



Befure sanctioning the establishment of a new plot the 
department will inspect the site with a view to determining 
the suitability of the land, etc. 

(a) In counties in which a sufficient number of suitable 
plots already exist the committee shall make provision for 
the continuance of the plots at a cost not to exceed £1 5s. 
per plot. (See List A on p. 270.) 

All requisite labour must be given gratuitously by the 
owner of the plot, who will be entitled to the produce. 

(h) In cases where it is necessary to estabhsh new plots 
the department will require compliance with the following 
regulations 

(1) Plots must not exceed a quarter of an acre in 
extent, or be less than one-eighth of an acre (quarter- 
acre plots are recommended). 

(2) No new plot shall be established save at a 
convenient centre adjacent to a main road. 

(3) Plots should be selected on sites which are 
properly fenced. Should, however, any fencing be 
necessary, the materials (i.e., a sufficient quantity of 
wire with wooden posts) may be suppHed by the 
committee, provided funds have been allocated for 
the purpose in the county scheme ; the fencing to 
be put up by the owner of the plot at his own expense. 
In no case will the department approve of expensive 
fencing and gates being supplied by the county com- 
mittee to a plot owner. 

(4) The aspect of each plot and the nature of the 
soil must be suitable for fruit and vegetable growing. 
Necessary improvements, such as drainage, must be 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 269 



carried out, and when required farmyard manure 
must be supplied by the plot owner without expense 
to the committee. 

(5) The owner of the plot must sign an undertaking 
to continue the plot for three years. 

(6) The necessary labour must be given gratuitously 
by the persons providing the plots — ^the produce to be 
their property. 

The cost of trees, etc., required for planting a new plot 
must not exceed £3. (See List B on p. 271.) 

13. The department's approval in writing must be 
obtained before any expense is incurred in connection 
with the estabhshment of a plot, and application for such 
approval must be accompanied in each case by a detailed 
report from the instructor. 

14. No action shall be taken by the county committee 
towards putting this scheme, or any part thereof, into 
operation until the sanction of the department has been 
obtained in writing. 

15. In all matters of dispute relating to this scheme the 
decision of the department shall be final. 



LIST A 

List of Vegetables, etc., Recommended for a Horticultural 
Demonstration Plot (not exceeding one-four™ acre) 
already established 

ESTIMATED COST ABOUT £1 5s. Od. 
Vegetables 

Description. Quantity. 
Beans, Broad . . . . . . . 1 qt. 

Beans, French 4 



270 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



Dcscri'plion. 


Quantity, 


Beans, Runner .... 


. I pt. 


Brussels Sprouts .... 


. \ oz. 


Broccoli ...... 


. ^ oz. 


Cabbage, Early 


. 3 oz. 


Cabbage, Savoy .... 


. \ oz. 


Cauliflower ..... 


. I oz. 


Carrot ...... 


. 2 oz. 


Celery ...... 


100 plants. 


Kale, Curly ..... 


. I oz. 


Leek ...... 


1 oz. 


Lettuce ...... 


. 1 oz. 


Onion ...... 


. 3 oz. 


Onion, Potato 


. 1 St. 


Parsnip ...... 


. 2 oz. 


Parsley ...... 


. 1 oz. 


Peas ...... 


. 3 qts. 


Potatoes, Early (to be boxed) . 


. . 4 St. 


Potatoes, Late (to be boxed) . 


. 4 St. 


Turnips ...... 


. 2 oz. 


Vegetable Marrow .... 


. 1 packet. 



Flowers 



Candituft 
Canterbury Bells 
Larkspur 
Lupin 
Mignonette 
Nasturtium 
Sunflower 
Wallflower 
Sweet Pea 



packet each. 



pt. 



Artificial Manurei 

Muriate of Potash 3 stone. 

Nitrate of Soda 3 „ 

Superphosphate . . . . , . 4 „ 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 271 



LIST B 

List of Feuit Trees, Plants and Seeds, etc., Recommended for 
A NEW Horticultural Demonstration Plot of One-fourth 
Acre in Extent 
ESTIMATED COST ABOUT £3 



Fruit 

Description. Quantify. 
Apples, Bush on Paradise Stock . . .6 trees. 
Pears, Bush on Quince Stock . . . . 2 „ 

Plums, Bush ....... 2 „ 

Currants, Red ....... 3 bushes. 

Currants, White . . . . . . 3 „ 

Currants, Black . . . . . . 6 „ 

Gooseberries . . . . . . . 12 „ 

Raspberries . . . . .. . .24 canes. 

Strawberries 100 plants. 

Vegdahles 

Beans, Broad . . . . . . . 1 qt. 

Beans, French I pt« 

Beans, Runner . . . . . . |- pt. 

Brussels Sprouts . . . . . . |^ oz. 

Broccoli I oz. 

Cabbage, Early . . . . . . 3 oz. 

Cabbage, Savoy . . . . . . -| oz. 

Cauliflower . . . . . . . |- oz. 

Carrot 2 oz. 

Celery 100 plants. 

Kale, Curly I oz. 

Leek . , . . . . . . 1 oz. 

Lettuce . . . . . . . . 1 oz. 

Mint ........ 3 plants. 

Marjoram . . . . . . . 3 „ 

Onion (Autumn-sown) . . . . 100 

Onion . . . . . . . . 3 oz. 

Onion, Potato 1 stone. 

Parsnip . . . . . . . . 2 oz. 

Parsley . . , . . . . . 1 oz. 



272 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



Description. Quantity. 

Peas ........ 3 qts. 

Potatoes, Early (to be boxed) . . . . 4 st. 

Potatoes, Late (to be boxed) . . . . 4 st. 

Rhubarb ........ 6 plants. 

Sage . . . . . . . . 3 „ 

Thyme 3 „ 

Turnips . . . . . . . . 2 oz. 

Vegetable Marrow ...... 1 packet. 

Flowers 

Candituft ....... 1 packet. 

Canterbury Bells 1 „ 

Dahlias ........ 2 plants. 

Larkspur ........ 1 packet. 

Lupin ........ 1 

Mignonette ....... 1 

Nasturtium ....... 1 „ 

Roses ........ 4 plants. 

Sunflower ....... I packet. 

Wallflower 1 „ 

Sweet Pea ....... 1 pmt. 

Artificial Manures 

Mmiate of Potash . . . . . . 3 st. 

Nitrate of Soda . . . . . . 3 st. 

Superphosphate . . . . . . 4 st. 



APPENDIX 



USEFUL INFORMATION FOR LADY GARDENERS 
HINTS FOR LAYING OUT FLOWER BEDS 

A Lady Gardener may have to arrange new ornamental 
flower beds, and a few hints about pegging out the shape 
may be useful. It does not always follow that a design 
for a formal flower plot works out as well in reahty as 
it does upon paper. In order to gain a good impression 
of what their effect will be when finished they should be 
marked out with pegs and white tape or string tied 
round these to show the outline of the future beds. 
That is, if ground that has already been broken up is 
being dealt with. 

Should, however, a wide stretch of lawn have to be 
marked out in flower beds, a capital plan is to draw the 
outline of them with a whitewash brush upon the grass, 
in the same way that a lawn tennis court is marked. 
Having ascertained that no improvement or alteration 
will be necessary, work can then be commenced with 
the turf cutter. 

It is convenient, for drawing circular or other beds, 
to have a garden compass. Should this not be handy, a 
couple of stout iron pins and a length of rope will answer 
the purpose. 

The compass consists of a stout iron pin and a light, 
flat rod of wood six to ten feet long, with holes drilled 
the whole length, one inch apart. One end of the rod has 

S 273 



274 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 




a perfectly round ring, 
which will turn easily on 
the pin. A second pin or 
rod about three feet long 
is needed as a marker. 

In making a circular 
bed (Fig. 1), the centre 
is first determined on. 



Fig. 1 



■ ''B 



stout pm IS 
in through the 



and the 
driven 

ring. The marking pin 
is then placed in the hole 
corresponding to the re- 
quired radius. With it 
the circle is drawn. 

When using a cord, 
instead of the wooden 




Fig. 2 




Fig. 3 



marking pin, it must be 
stretched tight on the 
centre pin, and the radius 
measured along it from 
the pin. The marker is 
then passed through the 
rope and bound in place 
with a piece of twine or 
soft wire. Care should 
be taken, when marking. 



GABDENING FOE WOMEN 275 



that the rope rests either on the ground or parallel 
to it. 

A circular bed is the easiest of all to set out, but it is 
the foundation of several others. The easiest are polygons 
of four, six, and eight sides. To lay out a four-sided 
polygon (Fig. 2), equal a square : Lay off the diagonal 
A B. Lay off C D at right angles to A B, and join A 
D, D B, B C, C A. 

To lay out a six-sided 
bed (Fig. 3), equal a 
hexagon : From the 
centre C draw a circle 
with radius C L Then 
from 1 with the same 
radius cut the circle at 
2, from 2 cut it at 3, 
and so on. Then join 1 
2, 2 3, 3 4, etc. To lay 
out an eight-sided bed, 
equal an octagon (Fig. 4t): ^^'^'^ -f 
Draw a circle, lay off the diameters A B, C D at right 
angles to each other. Next bisect the four right angles 
at E F G H, and join A E, E C, C G, G B, etc. 

These three are the most usual figures, but it is easy 
to draw any number of sides to your polygon you may 
require; 

First draw a circle, and lay off any diameter A B. 
Divide A B into as many equal parts as you want sides 
(in Fig. 5 it is five, as that is the most usual number 
required, but it may be seven or nine or any other number). 




276 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 

From A and B with radius A B describe the arcs cutting 
each other at C. From C draw a line to figure 2 on the 




D Fig. 8 

diagonal and produce it till it cuts the circle at D; 
Then from D with radius A D cut the circle at 2', from 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 277 



2' cut it at 3', and so on, and join 1' 2', 2' 3', 3' 4', 
4' 5'. 

With a circle, too, it is easy to lay 'out a star bed with 
four, six, or eight points (Fig. 6), or a half moon. 

Rectangular beds are also most easily set out by means 
of a circle. 

In a diamond the line should bisect the diagonal. 
The only other shape in general use is an oval, and 



c 




Fig. 7 



this is not built up on the circle. First determine the 
length and breadth A B, C D (Fig. 7). Bisect A B and 
make C D perpendicular to it at the point of bisection 0. 
From C with radius 0 A, cut A B in E F. These points 
are the form of the oval. 

Drive a stake in at E F and C, and put a cord round 
the three stakes. Tie the ends together, and take out 
the stake at C, and keeping the loop of cord taut, draw 
C B D A, which will be a perfect oval. 



278 



GARDENING FOR AVOMEN 



The shape of the flower beds having been decided 
and cut out, attention will not only have to be given to 
drainage, soil, and manure, but the proper shape and 
building up of soil will have to be considered before planting 
takes place. This is a matter rather insufl&ciently studied. 
It varies according to the surrounding position, arrange- 
ment of the garden and soil. 

In some herbaceous borders where height at the back 
of the border is an advantage, it is well to build the soil 
up so : — 




By this means tall flowers like hollyhocks, sunflowers, 
etc., have additional height given to them. 

In formal beds, circular ones or others, the building 
up of the soil takes place from the sides to the centre — 
so : — 




In other long, narrow beds the appearance is so : — 




I have to thank Miss J. S. Turner for many 
of the above notes. 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 279 



HOW TO MARK OUT A LAWN TENNIS COURT 

The following are the laws laid down by the Lawn 
Tennis Association for the year 1907. 

For the single-handed game, the court is 27 feet in width, 
and 78 feet in length. It is divided across the middle by 
a net, the ends of which are attached to the tops of two 





1 






i 

B 


b| 




® — 


























B 


B 

1 


1 
1 

: 





SINGLE-HANDED COURT FULL COURT 



posts, which stand 3 feet outside the court on each side. 
The height of the net is 3 feet 6 inches at the posts, and 
3 feet in the centre. At each end of the court, parallel 
with the net, and at a distance of 39 feet from it, are drawn 
the Base Lines, the extremities of which are connected 
by the Side Lines. Half-way between the Side Lines, 
and parallel with them, is drawn the Half-Court Line, 
dividing the space on each side of the net into two equal 
parts, called the Right and Left Courts. On each side of 
the net, at a distance of 21 feet from it, and parallel with it, 



280 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



arc drawn the Service Lines. The marking of the part of 
the Half-Court Line, between the Service Lines and the 
Base Line, may be omitted, with the exception of a small 
portion at the centre of each Base Line, as indicated in 
the plans. 

The plan here given is not the most generally used, but 
it may be the best adapted to the ground or to the require- 
ments of the owner of the garden. 

For the three-handed and four handed games, the court 
is 36 feet in width. Within the Side -Lines, at a distance 
of 4i feet from them, and parallel with them, are drawn 
the Service Side Lines. In other respects, the court is 
similar to that which is described for a single-handed 
game (Fig. 1). 

Fig. 2 is the plan most generally used in private grounds ; 
it is usual to continue the " Service Side Lines as far as 
the Base-Lines, as shown in the dotted line B in the plan. 

Keep the net loose from the posts when the ground is 
not used. For instructions as to the rolling, mowing, 
and general treatment of lawns, croquet and tennis courts, 
read Sutton's " Management of Lawns." 

The following is the best way of making a mixture for 
marking boundary lines upon grass courts. Dissolve 
ordinary lump whitening in water, and use it when it is 
about the consistency of cream. A tumbler of milk or a 
small quantity of builders' size, mixed with it, will preserve 
the lines from being washed out and destroyed by rain. 
The mixture is made in a pail or watering pot, and the 
tank of the marking machine is filled from it. After using 
the washer, the whitening should be emptied, and the 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 



281 




282 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



tank washed, for if allowed to remain, it hardens and has 
to be broken up. 

HOW TO LAY OUT A CROQUET GROUND 

The following regulations are those laid down in 1907, 
and are authorised by the Croquet Association. 

The ground shall be rectangular, 35 yards in length 
by 28 yards in width, with a defined boundary. A 
flag shall be placed at each corner, and comer 
spots, 3 feet from both boundaries, shall be accurately 
defined. 

Points on the boundary, 3 feet from each corner flag, 
shall be marked by white pegs, not exceeding | inch in 
diameter, and 3 inches above the ground. 

The above is for a full-sized ground, but for smaller 
ones any multiple of 5 x 4 is correct. 

The lioo'ps shall be of round iron, not less than ^- inch, 
and not more than J inch in diameter, and shall stand 
12 inches out of the ground, and be firmly fixed. The crown 
shall be straight, and at right angles to the uprights, which 
shall be not less than 3| inches, or more than 4 inches apart 
(inside measurement) from the ground upwards. 

The turning and the winning pegs shall be of wood, a 
uniform diameter above the ground of IJ inches. They 
shall stand 18 inches above the ground. 

The setting of the hoops and pegs shall be in accord- 
ance with the diagram given. Permission for pubhshing 
this has kindly been given by Messrs. John Jaques & Son, 
102, Hatton Garden, London. 

Measurements : — ^Pegs in centre hne of ground, 7 yards 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 283 



from the nearest boundary ; hoops up centre line of 
ground, 7 yards from peg and 7 yards apart ; corner 
hoops, 7 yards from centre line and 7 yards from the 
nearest boundaries. 

It is important in lifting the hoops for roUing and 
mowing, to fill up the holes with a mixture of fine dry 
earth and sand before replacing the hoops. By this 
means they are kept rigid and upright. 

When the croquet season is over the hoops are put 
away and painted during the winter. 

The best way to do this is to rub the hoops down well 
with fine sandpaper, and repaint them with good oil 
colour. Use it thin, and put on two or three coats. It 
is preferable to one thick coat. 



The following notes may be useful to ladies who are 
seeking posts: — 

THE CENTEAL BUEEAU FOR THE EMPLOYMENT 
OF WOMEN, 

9, Southampton Street, High Holborn, W.C. 

(2nd Floor) 

Two minutes from British Museum, Central London Eail- 
way ; two minutes from Piccadilly and Brompton Railway, 
Holborn Station. 

Telegrams : " Einheit." Telephone : 4858 Central. 

Chairman : The Marchioness of Salisbury 
V ice-Chairman : Mrs. W. E. Haitland 
Hon. Treasurer : H. John Falk, Esq. 
Secretary : Miss M. G. Spencer 



284 GAEDENING FOE WOMEN 



OBJECTS OP THE CENTRAL BUREAU 

1. To prevent unemplovment, and tlie evils resulting 
therefrom. 

2. To help women, especially those of good education, 
to help themselves, by guiding them into suitable permanent 
work. 

3. To promote the training of the unprepared, and thus 
raise the general standard of efficiency. 

4. To maintain records of women desiring employ- 
ment, and of employers having vacancies. 

5. To collect and circulate information as to various 
occupations. 

6. To study and record the fluctuations of demand and 
supply in various occupations. 

7. To publish advertisement lists, newspapers, and other 
printed matter, by which the purposes of the society may 
be advanced. 

8. To promote and co-operate with other bureaus and 
societies having objects wholly or partly similar. 

Nature of the Work. — ^The work of the Central Bureau 
consists largely in counteracting those evils of social 
prejudice and defective training which have hitherto 
prevented many women of the educated class from being 
able to earn their own livelihood. It therefore includes 
not only what is ordinarily understood to be the work 
of an employment registry, but also the more laborious 
and less immediately remunerative business of investi- 
gating possible openings for employment, promoting 
sound schemes for apprenticeship and training, and so 
advising and helping women as to enable them to make 



GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 285 



their services of genuine value to the community. Did 
space permit, it would be possible to give a long list of 
those women who have been enabled, through guidance 
received at the bureau, to fill satisfactorily positions of 
considerable responsibility and importance. By a carefully 
considered system of indexing and tabulation, the Central 
Bureau is able to make the results of its work available 
for the purposes of the statistician and the economic 
inquirer. The advantages of this system have been 
recognised by the committees of other women's employ- 
ment bureaus, which have now, with few exceptions, 
adopted the same method of tabulation. But while en- 
deavouring to introduce improvements in method, the 
council of the Central Bureau are far from losing sight 
of the individual needs of each employer and applicant 
for work, reahsing that upon the full comprehension of 
individual circumstances the success of the work depends. 

REGISTRY FEES FOR APPLICANTS 

(Those for employers seem unnecessary for our purpose here) 
Registration, covering a period of three months. Is. 6d: 
Suiting fees, permanent posts on salaries not exceeding 
10s. per week, non-resident, 2s. 6d. ; resident, 5s. ; not 
exceeding 15s. per week, non-resident, 3s. 9d. ; resident, 
7s. 6d. : not exceeding 20s. per week, non-resident, 5s. ; 
resident, 10s. : not exceeding 30s. per week, non-resident, 
7s. 6d. ; resident, 15s. : not exceeding 40s. per week, non- 
resident, 10s. : resident, 20s. — being half per cent, on 
first year's salary, non-resident ; and one per cent, on 
first year's salary, resident. Temporary posts not exceeding 
three months, one per cent, on salary for the term, but 



286 



GARDENING FOE AYOMEN 



not less than 2s. 6d. Temporary post not exceeding one 
week, Is. 6d. Suiting fees in every case are payable on 
engagement. Hours of interviews, 11.30 to 1, and 2.30 
to 4.30, excepting Monday mornings and Saturdays. In 
order to save time, callers are asked to write for appoint- 
ments. Fees for consultation, 6d. and Is. 

Publications. — The Central Bureau pubHshes Women's 
Employment (price Id., post free, IJd.). The issue of this 
publication, which appears on the first Friday in the month, 
contains articles on employment subjects, written by 
experts, together with advertisements, and information 
as to training. Intermediate lists of vacant situations 
and ivorhers disengaged are published fortnightly at the 
same price. Wom£n''s Employment (including the inter- 
mediate Lists) may also be obtained from the Secretary of 
the Central Bureau on payment of 3s. per annum. The 
Central Bureau has also published a pamphlet entitled the 
Finger Post (price Is. 6d.), containing 70 articles, written 
by experts, on professions for educated women. 



WOMEN'S INSTITUTE, 

92, VicTOKiA Street, London, S.W. 

Here, information is given of every kind upon social 
subjects, training for professions, board, education, etc. 
A member is entitled to have six questions a year answered 
free ; non-members pay a small fee. Recreations of various 
sorts are also given, and three programmes are issued 
yearly of lectures, conferences, debates, social and musical 
afternoons and evenings. The library is well provided 



GARDENING FOE WOMEN 



287 



with books on subjects of interest to women, and on 
sociology. 

The institute was founded in 1897, in the hope, which 
has already been fulfilled, that it might be able to provide 
something of the nature of a central office or " clearing 
house " of the various departments of woman's work 
which are now scattered over the whole field of English 
social life. It is no part of the aim of the institute itself 
to take up any department of work in competition with 
existing societies, much less to interfere in any way with 
their management. Its object is rather to make the 
work of existing societies better known, through its In- 
formation Bureau, through the circulation of literature, 
through meetings and conferences held within its walls, 
and lastly, by bringing the workers in one department into 
touch with those in another, by means of frequent social 
gatherings. 

WHAT THE INSTITUTE OFFERS TO INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS 

The social side of the institute has been organised with 
the double object : — 

1. Of bringing workers into friendly communication. 

2. Of offering to isolated workers some of the recreation 

to which all workers are entitled. 

SOME OP THE FEATURES ARE I — 

1. A weekly " At Home " held by the executive 

committee. 

2. Lectures and debates. 

3. A musical society. 



288 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



4. An art society. 

5. A recreation department. 

6. A circulating library of special books. 

7. A voluntary workers' association for philanthropic 

work. 

It is not desired that women should join the institute 
in the expectation that it should be a direct means of 
enabling them to obtain work, but a register is kept of 
members' requirements, and the institute co-operates with 
the Central Bureau for the Employment of Women in the 
interests of its own members. 

CONDITIONS OF MEMBERSHIP 

Men, as well as women, are eligible for membership. 

Agreement to abide by and be subject to the rules 
and bye -laws of the institute for the time being in force. 

Terms for general members (men and women) : Annual 
subscription, £1 Is. Terms for American, Colonial and 
Foreign members (men and women) : Annual subscrip- 
tion, 10s. 6d. Office hours : 10 to 6, except Saturdays, 
when the institute is open 10 to 1. 

The institute is closed on Bank Holidays and for 
one month at the end of summer. 

Those who are strangers in London and are doubt- 
ful where to stay while they are seeking for posts may be 
glad to know of the following : 

Brabazon House, Ltd. 
Hopkinson House, 88, Vauxhall Bridge Road, S.W. 
Brabazon House, Moreton Street, S.W. 



GARDENING FOR WOMEN 289 



Single rooms, with use of sitting-rooms, piano, and papers, 
7s. 6d. to 18s. 6d. a week ; double rooms, 12s. to 18s. 6d. 
a week ; cubicles, 5s., 5s. 6d., 6s., 6s. 6d., and 7s. 

Ladies are expected to provide their own soap, towels, 
toilet covers, and serviettes. Each lady is required to 
give two references. By the night : room, 2s. to 3s. ; 
cubicle. Is. 6d. By the meal : breakfast, 6d. ; lunch, 
9d. ; tea, 4d. ; dinner, Is. Hours of meals : breakfast, 
7.45 to 8.45 a.m. ; lunch, 1 p.m. ; tea, 4.30 p.m. ; dinner, 
7.30 p.m. Sundays : breakfast, 8.45 to 9.30 a.m. ; 
dinner, 1.30 p.m. ; tea, 5 p.m. ; supper, 8.45 p.m. Tariff : 
breakfast and late dinner with full meals on Sundays, 
8s. 6d. per week ; lunch and afternoon tea provided if 
required ; full board (by the week), 10s. 6d. A reduc- 
tion will be made to those unable to be present at all 
the dinners. 

Managing Director and Secretary : Miss Lindsey. 



PfilNTBD BY 

Casbell and Company, Limited, La Belle Sauvaqe, 
London, E.G. 



n 1 Thomson Park Drive 
?72T7ilI^T'''- '''''''' 



LIBRARY OF CX)NGRESS 




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